FOR Yogesh Chandra, nothing is more satisfying than to sit back and immerse himself into his poetry. It’s the feeling of being able to capture his thoughts directly into short stanzas.
“It helps me express myself better,” the 23-year-old said quietly.
“Life happens in the present and if you’re not careful it’ll just pass you by.”
Yogesh is completing his postgraduate studies in forensic accounting at the University of the South Pacific (USP). As far as he can remember, he has been writing poems since he was 14. It served as a healing mechanism for him. The young student endeavours to record many things that happen in his life on a daily basis.
If you were to know his family background then you’d know why he works so hard on his poems. Yogesh was only 10 years old when he lost his father to a tragic accident. His father was minding some bullocks for a friend when he was gored and suffered severe injuries to his kidney.
“I remember coming home in the afternoon and seeing my father bleeding profusely in the bathroom. I will never forget that scene,” said the eldest of five siblings.
“At the time, we were so poor, and transport was hard to find. My family finally got someone to take him to the hospital but it was too late. He lost a lot of blood and later passed away in hospital.
“I remember from Class 5, I was the man of the house. When we didn’t go to school on a particular day, we would go down to a valley behind our house where mangoes used to grow. We picked the mangoes and went to nearby villages to sell it. That was one of the things we did to make money. We even went to places to do odd jobs such as cutting grass. It was normal for us. We didn’t know what was happening around us but we had to grow up quickly but happiness was there.
“We lived on a $50 per month voucher from the Department of Social Welfare and I rode on scholarships to put me through to school.
“I understand my journey was tough but everyone’s journey is tough in their own ways. Even if you are facing an issue, breathe and think carefully. This is just a small part of life that you’ll get over.”
Yogesh is a member of the Poetry Shop, a group formed in Fiji for enthusiastic poets to share and critique each other’s work.
He will have some of his poems published in a second anthology put together by Poetry Shop with support from the French Embassy and the USP/Oceania centre through the Pacific Heritage Hub. The anthology is open to the public for submissions and interested Fijians willing to submit their poems for publication can email thepoetryshopfiji@gmail.com or call 7776820 for more information.
“There’s nothing more I could ask for than have my thoughts being read and understood by many Fijians. There are many souls out there who are battling a problem day and night but it’s OK to be in pain. We are humans, we go through so much that we learn to master it. I mastered it through writing, and it has been the best for me,” smiles Yogesh.
