Poetry Beyond Borders “Ink Bottle Spills – A Tri-Lingual Treasure by Author Kaavyashri Rao!

From nursery rhymes to nuanced narratives, Kaavyashri Rao has come a long way—and she’s brought three languages along for the ride. In her captivating collection Poetry Beyond Borders, this multilingual wordsmith invites readers into a vibrant poetic universe where English, Hindi, and Kannada coalesce in lyrical harmony.

In this candid and colorful interview, Kaavyashri opens up about her unique approach to rhythm and rhyme, her love for alliteration, and how everyday musings—from high school loneliness to philosophical ponderings—spark her verses. With a background in Hindustani classical music and a penchant for humour, she crafts poems that sing, provoke, and delight.

Whether it’s existential dread or a playful feud between cats and dogs, no theme is off-limits. Blending structure with spontaneity and insight with imagination, Kaavyashri’s poetry is a celebration of language and life itself. Dive in as we explore her inspirations, writing rituals (hint: glitter pens are involved!), and the heart behind her tri-lingual treasure.

1. What initially drew you to poetry, and what do you find unique about its ability to express emotions and ideas?

Poetry has always fascinated me, right from the days when I used to recite nursery rhymes. I believe that it is distilled literature with condensed tales. One gets a window into the emotional state of the poet without the interference of devices that prose offers. Ideas are presented in their sharpest, most succinct form, which is the source of my inspiration and preference for this form.

2. What inspired the themes in your poetry, and how did they shape the tone and structure of your work?

I have a soft corner for rhyme as it provides clear-cut rhythm and alliteration is my favourite poetic device. Inspiration strikes me like a bolt of lightning - snippets of a conversation, reflections, jokes, shadows,animals, clouds in the sky, societal drama, all serve up wonderful ideas which I try to shape into poems.

The structure of my poems has been clearly demarcated in my book - sonnets,twitter-style,Dr.Ink (my childhood pen name) and the poems based on my stories. I like to experiment with different poetic frameworks because it helps me grow as a poet.

3. Poetry allows for both clear expression and personal interpretation. How do you balance conveying your intended message while leaving space for the reader’s perspective?

It is indeed a hard task to strike the perfect balance between the artist's intention and the reader's interpretation, but it can be done. Some of my poems are so transparent that they project the narrative in an unambiguous manner. Some others, however, are like a puzzle or a maze, where the reader can eventually insert their own perspective and seek catharsis or entertainment.

4. How do you craft the rhythm and musicality of your poems, and what role does it play in enhancing the reader's experience?

Since I have a penchant for rhyme and an intuitive knack for rhythm, I usually have to select which type of rhyme scheme fits best for that particular poem. After that, I check whether the meter is comfortable by reading it aloud or in my mind. It is a meticulous process similar to a word version of carpentry, chipping away at the extraneous elements. Thankfully I have been aided by my background in Hindustani classical music, which has empowered my journey as a trilingual poet. Interestingly, my English and Hindi poems have more rhyme than my Kannada poems, many of which are free verse.

5. How has your personal journey and background influenced the themes, imagery, and style of your poetry?

Like I said above,my musical background has helped the musicality of my work. I am an aspiring screenwriter, so I love the ballad-like poetry style. I have always sought solace in humour and one can notice the wry jocular style in many of my poems. My love for my nation and state is reflected in the volume and extent of poetry written in Hindi and Kannada. My parents and sister have served as my inspiration via their personality traits. My mother is wonderful at humour, my father is philosophical and my sister is admirably precise. I aim to emulate these qualities in my writing.

6. In your work, how do you use poetry as a means of commentary or reflection on the world around you?

I have strived to touch upon topics old and new, routine and unfamiliar. A poem on guests,another on the eternal feud between cats and dogs,high school loneliness for example, are topics that many people would relate to on a daily-life level, on a microscopic level. However, I have also touched upon grave topics like existential dread, nihilism, deforestation, identity crisis among other macroscopic topics. My efforts go to those topics, themes and tropes that are broadly relatable to everyone but deeply woven by my personal world view, making it a tightrope walk for me. It's an exhilarating process.

7. Readers may be curious about your writing rituals. Can you share any specific routines or practices you find helpful in cultivating your creativity and honing your craft as a poet?

I had an interesting practice when I crafted most of the poems in this collection. Colours ignite my imagination, so I took 2-3 glitter pens as my apprentices. I used them alternately for rhyming lines and found satisfaction when I looked at the shining page. I know this is a bit unusual but it made the process fun, which is what art is all about, in my view.

Let the verses speak to your soul—grab your copy today! On Amazon!