Radhika Pandey explores Dinesh Raheja’s new poetry collection, ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’, through voices of friends and fellow artists who discover simplicity, intimacy, longing and lived experience within his deeply personal verse and reflections.

Poetry is as much his muse as cinema. Veteran film historian and journalist Dinesh Raheja will launch his second collection of poems in both English and Hindi, ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’ on August 14, at Title Waves, Bandra.

Raheja's book brings together Hindi and English poems on love, loss, and longing. For this piece, we hand over the mike to eight people who have known Raheja across four decades of films, newsrooms, and friendship: a filmmaker, several actors, an author-critic, and a poet.

These creative forces read Raheja’s poems separately, and each chose a different poem to respond to. Here is what stayed with each of them.

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan - After acting in several popular TV shows, he has morphed into a director of critically acclaimed films. 

I'd like to tell you a story from many years back, almost 20-25 years ago, when I was an actor in theatre, television and films (I still am) and I read a very prominent by-line in a film magazine -- and the by-line went by the name of Dinesh Raheja.

At that point in time, Mr Dinesh Raheja was some kind of an enigma for me. As I kept reading his articles, a few years elapsed and this enigma turned into a personality, and this personality turned into a friend. I realised that he was not only a prolific journalist but also an author of several books on cinema; and, of late, I discovered he was a perceptive poet too.

It gave me immense pleasure to read one of Dinesh Raheja's favourite poems, ‘Coffee Shop’, for his YouTube Channel. The poem is now part of his new book, ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’. I recommend you read the book at the earliest.

Bhavana Balsaver - The Dekh Bhai Dekh girl has blossomed into an accomplished actress across film, TV and theatre

Dinesh and I go back a long time. Almost 30 years ago, he was writing a TV show that I was acting in, one called ‘Beauty Parlour’. He is also a very good friend of my husband (actor-producer Karan Shah) because they started their careers at around the same time. Karan speaks very, very highly of Dinesh all the time. So we reconnected recently, and our relationship grew.

What I love about Dinesh’s poetry is that it's very real. It reflects everyday life and everyday people -- you, me, everyone. When I read ‘Udaan Bhar’, I feel like this could be anybody's story emerging straight from any one of our hearts.

The poem’s theme is beautifully captured by Dinesh in a word portrait, but at the same time it is very simple and direct, without trying to sound unnecessarily esoteric and over-intellectual. The poem is very real and very genuine. I could recognise that the words had come straight from the poet’s heart.

There is a great connectivity with Dinesh’s poems because they mirror the feelings a lot of us have. When you read the thoughts expressed in his poem, you find yourself agreeing: ‘Yes! This is such a fact. The poem says it exactly how it is.’

I urge readers to pick up ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’ firstly because as the intriguing title puts it, everyone has experienced unrealised longings. And secondly because you will find that the poems often match your own sentiments and emotions; every reader will somehow identify with some poem.

Divya Seth - Whether in film, TV or theatre, she has the gift that humanises her often steely characters

Dinesh penned a wonderful personality piece on me for a leading newspaper a few years ago; and that's how I got to know him and that's how we became friends.

I think Dinesh is a very gentle and yet a very incisive poet. I read two sakura-geisha-centric small poems he had written, ‘Sayonara Sakura’ and ‘Sakura Weeps’, and I thought they were so observant and, at the same time, so subtly put.

I think the title ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’ is marvellous because at every stage of our lives, there is always something that remains unfulfilled -- unrequited love, some unfinished business or dream. I think it's a very precise title. Notwithstanding the word ‘Adhuri’, I would call it ‘a complete’ title.

Vinay Jain - The twice-nominated TV actor has performed in films and on the stage as well

In my opinion, good writing is all about reflecting an intrinsic and inherent truth. Dinesh Raheja's poems mirror real-life emotions and experiences. He is a sensitive soul and he is able to deftly articulate his feelings, his sentiments, in his poetry. Best of all, there's no pretence – the thoughts appear unfiltered and organic because the poet is very genuine. He’s grounded.

I read an English poem called ‘Schizophrenia’ and also ‘Chaand Aaj Kuchh Zyada Zard Hai’ in Hindi from Dinesh’s new book, ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’. Both poems compelled me to go deeper into my own life and really empathise with what the poet was saying; they resonated with me.

As does the title of the book. Unfulfilled desires are part and parcel of all our lives. We all have lingering feelings of incompleteness, nostalgia, regret. Things we could have done, things we could have said. I feel if you truly embrace them, you can come to terms with them, and they can form a fine foundation of something creative… like this book of poems.

Renita Kapoor - Actor of note on film and OTT 

I have never met Dinesh Raheja in person, but I feel I know him through his creative work and through our conversations online. I see a lot of similarity in the way I think and in his outlook towards life and women.

One of my favourite poems from his book ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’ is 'Udaan Bhar'. There's a beautiful line about how 'Insaan apne armanon ke pankh katarta hai.' I too believe that it's important to take that occasional leap of faith. The philosophical point Dinesh conveys through his poetry is subtle, but it hits you with the force of realisation.

His poetry completely reflects who Dinesh Raheja is, it represents his personality -- his innocence and his genuine empathy for humanity at large. I adore his poems on his grandchildren, primarily because I just love children and I have seen the journey of the twins through Dinesh's writings. Reading those poems evokes such warm, loving emotions within me. I wholeheartedly recommend them to all readers.

Ankur Gupta - A published poet, this Singapore-based writer has a flair for words and articulation

I met Dinesh Sir thanks to the talent competitions he regularly holds for writers, actors and singers. He has the rare knack for encouraging emerging talent. But he was so modest and soft-spoken that for a long time I didn't realise that he was such an illustrious film historian, writer, critic and a poet. The more I got to know him, however, the more I was intrigued about his multidimensional personality. I love his zest for life, his zinda dil attitude. For me, that is a huge inspiration.

We share our poetry, and critique each other's work. In my opinion, the biggest attribute of a poet is honesty and simplicity. Dinesh Raheja’s poetry embodies that virtue. Jo jiya, jo mehsoos kiya, likh diya. There is no fabrication in it. There is no meaningless decoration in it. It is straight from the heart. His creativity reflects his personality -- he is a very straightforward person. He is the same inside and outside. What you see is what you get.

Dinesh Raheja is a common man's poet. The beauty and honesty of everyday speech that runs through so many beautiful old Hindi film songs -- I find a similar quality in Dinesh Raheja's poetry.

I must also pinpoint the range of emotions expressed in the poems in his book ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’. While the poem ‘Kora Kaagaz’ is highly philosophical, another poem, ‘Baarish’, took me to a balcony in a Khandala resort overlooking the lush gifts of nature. I felt transported right there after reading the line ‘Bheego mujhmein main trishna mitaane aayee hoon’.

Denzil Smith - Stage and film actor of note 

It is not easy to express a deep thought yet keep it uncomplicated and accessible at the same time. What I find striking about well-known journalist Dinesh Raheja's poetry is his delightful simplicity.

In his book ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’, Dinesh explores some very complex themes, but he has managed to succinctly convey them in his poetry thanks to his sharp-eyed observations of people and everyday life.

I have particularly enjoyed reading two of Dinesh’s poems -- 'What Is Your Story' is tinged with black humour while 'Niky, My Love' is a moving poem about a dream a wistful father sees for the daughter he dotes on.

My takeaway is that the title 'Unfulfilled Desires' references a Utopian world that he wishes to see. The striving and yearning for an ideal world expressed in Dinesh's poetry finds an echo in all of us.

Nandita Puri - The author of several well-received books, she is also the driving force behind the Om Puri Foundation

I've always known Dinesh Raheja as a veritable storehouse of knowledge about cinema, and its history dating back to the classics. We were both in the same journalism field and I became friendly with him because he would come home to interview my husband (actor Om Puri).

I love Dinesh’s film writings, they're amazing because he is knowledgeable and one of the most sensible, balanced writers we have.

A few years back, I discovered he is a sensitive poet too when his book ‘101 Haiku’ was published. He is a very emotional person so I guess poetry was a natural progression for a creative person like him.

I've recited on camera the poem ‘You Me’ from Dinesh’s new book ‘अधूरी ख़्वाहिशों ने… Unfulfilled Desires’. I was moved by the way the poem evocatively captures the nuanced nature of all intimate relationships. I think it’s commendable that Dinesh is exploring different genres… More power to him. Read the book because good poetry is food for the soul.