Actor-turned-poet Arunoday Singh’s debut book, Unsung, charts the stages of emotional and spiritual rehabilitation via minimalistic poems. This poetic voyage, influenced by various art forms and ideas such as Sufi poetry and Cohen’s songs, will lead you to a new unknown area within yourself as he discusses his journey, and the sensation of poetically making your way through life. The author discusses his work and life in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph.
Unsung is your debut poetry book. how does it feel to write after all these years of being in the movie industry?
It, honestly, feels both surreal and entirely correct. I didn’t think I would be here, despite firmly believing I would be here, if that makes any sense. I don’t think of it in the context of being an actor. That should have nothing to do with it. And it doesn’t. I’m trying to be as full in my experiencing of art as possible. I fact, I write, I sketch, I hope to learn new things.
The cover art of your book is about Nautilus, one of the oldest surviving creatures in the ocean. What is the interpretation behind this? Why Nautilus of all things?
It’s an amazing creature. And it builds one of the most beautiful homes for itself. I love that shell. It’s an actual work of art. It is also a creature that doesn’t discard its shell as it grows but grows its original shell, keeping all the older chambers to be used when needed as ballast. I love that idea. It’s an honouring of the past. It has always been a very strong motif in my life, and I felt it fitting to put it on the cover of my first book.
You have mentioned in the book why are so many of us restless all the time... would you like to help us understand this better?
I believe, from my experience of all these years living all over the world, and meeting a fair amount of people, that we are all very very restless in our souls. It seems to be a design feature in the base model. I don’t know why it is so, but there’s a basic inability to be in the moment, both physically, and emotionally. There’s always something missing. There’s always somewhere we should be, somewhere better, but we don’t know where, and we don’t know how to get there. What are we doing here? What are we supposed to be doing?
Tell us about your journey towards writing such a heartfelt expression of self via poetry.
That is a dauntingly broad question. It’s been a slow, steady slog. I’ve got many miles to go, towards the height of skill, I hope to attain. But I’m grateful to be here. Other than that, it’s like asking someone to tell you about their life. Too big for one question.
Are you working on anything new? Can we expect anything new from your desk?
I’m always scribbling away. If something comes together that’s of quality enough to share, I will most definitely be letting you know. But until then, I find it very silly to proclaim work that isn’t finished.
Your writing style is unique; can you please tell us about the process behind it?
There is no process. I sit down and write. This is just how it comes out. Other than that, I remain ignorant of the source of it all.