Advocacy was a choice which the empath and the activist inside me made ! Being a poetess was involuntary!
Ruha Latif
Advocate
Poet
Performing Artist
Bangalore
Could you share your educational journey achievements and what sparked your interest in creative writing initially?
My educational journey and my inspiration towards creative writing took birth in the woods, when my parents shifted to a farm house which was deep within the woods and from there me and my siblings used to head to St Mary’s convent school everyday, with my Dad driving the Safari Jeep and dropping us to school which was in the town. Since childhood the company I got was the company of nature and my German shepherd dogs who were always around me as a friend and a protector. I used to paint a lot while I was young as I wasn’t that articulate and eloquent enough to express my ideas through words. My mother was the first person who appreciated a roughly sketched drawing of mine drawn on a black slate board with a white chalk while I was a toddler and it was my father who became a source of inspiration towards creative writing when I had written a nostalgic autobiography of the old broken Safari Jeep which was sold to the scarp dealer later, this was when I was in class 11th and from there I started writing and sharing my write ups with my family and friends.
Apart from the world of creativity, I was also inspired by Science and Law as subjects in school. The love for Law took birth in me because of the discussion on law as My father was an Active Trade Union leader who established an independent Trade Union without aligning himself with any political parties and I used to listen to him fighting cases for the labours and tribal population of Odisha before the tribunals and High Court.Right after class 12th I wanted to pursue Law but then I was discouraged by my father only since our family had no senior advocates to guide me hence I dropped the idea of law and went ahead chasing Science and making it my dream. I went to Calcutta to pursue an Honours Degree in Physics from the Lady Brabourne College but while I was pursuing the same I realised that the Activist inside me which was an inherited trait had not died and while I was embroiled in a lot of system changing endeavours, I realised Physics as a subject wasn’t helping me solve those issues, I remember I had scribbled somewhere in my diary that instead of finding Life on Mars I am more passionate and skilled to find Life chances for people on this planet Earth so after finishing my Honours degree and passing with first division I left for Delhi with a dream about giving civil services exams and becoming a civil servant and serving the nation.Then unfortunately as the government changed my passion for the preparation too died down and again I was inspired to pursue Law so I gave the all India entrance examination of Delhi University, Campus Law Centre and got admission in Law College. Until then my creative writing was hand in hand as I used to write poems in English on various emotions of life.
As a renowned poet, what are your favorite themes to explore and express through your poetry?
Being proficient in both English and Urdu, which language do you find most challenging to convey your thoughts as a poet?
Urdu is a language I just heard from my parents while growing up but didn’t learn it formally but English is a language I heard, read and wrote in school and had a formal education in it throughout my life. Today none is a challenge since I have given both languages their due space, English helps me in Advocacy while Urdu since it’s my mother tongue, it helps me express the thoughts of my sub conscience, although I had written poem books in English and people loved it but Urdu gives a soulful touch to my poetry hence I now write in Urdu, in fact now I narrate my Urdu poems. So I must admit,I am not proficient in both but yes I don’t think anyone is perfect at anything, it’s all a learning at every stage.
What motivated you to pursue a career in advocacy alongside your creative pursuits?
Advocacy was a choice which the empath and the activist inside me had made because I couldn’t keep quiet when I saw something wrong taking place infront of my eyes so I decided that when I am taking a stand why not take a stronger stand and equip myself with law, on the other hand my creative pursuits are my invoultary ways of expressing my feelings to the world, I have no control over it. Be it painting or writing,it comes out from soul and I have no control over it.
I would not call myself a renowned poet but yes I believe I may be close to many people’s heart who can relate to my works and can draw inspiration from it. My favourite themes in life are thoughts that are usually centred around self growth and spiritual growth. I write very less on the pain of Seperation from a worldly beloved and the joy of intoxication and my poems seldom have analogy with Moon or Flowers,Sun and Rain.I rather delve into the personalities of people and personally believe that poetry isn’t only in the use of a diverse dictionary of rhyming words, it’s rather in the distinct analysis of life which makes a person a poet.
Drawing from your experience as a performing artist, what qualities do you believe are crucial for success on stage. Which stage performance was highly appreciated by the audience?
The quality of remaining humble and being confident at the same time is my experience with stage performance but there’s no one formula for success. My all stage performances ends with people thanking me for calming their souls down with my Nazm and my Andaaz e Bayaan (Style of narration).
Could you share the main messages or themes you aim to convey through your published books, “Ballads from a Mother’s Heart” and “Conversations?”
exploited and insulted, this realisation happens when the Man has overpowered her completely.
Nip it in the bud is something I would advice a woman in order to avoid becoming a victim of domestic violence otherwise you will definitely need an attorney later. And when I say nip it in the bud I mean you must show zero tolerance to insult and zero tolerance to dowry which has multiple names these days like gifts,sharing the burden etc. A woman must realise that post marriage the health of a woman is the biggest treasure she loses while bearing a child and then raising a child,even if the Man is very very helpful, it’s the Woman who has to give 75% of her time and energy into the family so in the end she invests a lot into the marital tie hence she must not hurry up for marriage under any duress.
Who has been the greatest source of inspiration for you in your life and why?
My greatest inspiration is the knowledge of Quran which I didn’t read in Arabic rather I took the philosophy behind it through self study and fikr (thought). The firm belief that “ Har hukum k peeche hikmat hoti hai “ that means every Command has a wisdom behind it made me ponder behind the philosophies of the Divine command and what he wanted to convey to us. Specially belonging to a Patriarchal society where Religion is interpreted by male chauvinist clerics,that’s when I decided to pursue an MA PhD course in Islamic jurisprudence (the Shariah law) from the Islamic University of Minnesota (America). I also wrote and recorded a series of audio stories on a fictional character named “ Bibi Jaan” (available on YouTube)who was a woman with an opinion and a voice as she had the audacity to say “ Why should I listen to the Mulla(Clerics) and the Mohalla(Society) when I am answerable only to Allah(God)”.
Which is your favourite quote?
There are many and they keep changing with time.
