Li’l poetess swaying through her poems

Eleven-year-old Tamaara Nambiar is crafting waves through her poetry that is inspired by her real-life experiences.The budding poet takes The Pioneer through her journey and also looks at the many existential questions that we all face in life.

Amartya Smaran

While most toddlers love playing with toys, Tamaara Nambiar took pleasure in crafting poems at the ripe age of five. A few weeks ago, the eleven-year-old launched her poetry book titled ‘Undiscovered’.The book is a collection of 38 poems. Each poem covers a wide range of emotions and themes.The young poet collaborated with Padma Shri Laxma Goud to create some of the etchings in her book.

In this exclusive interview with The Pioneer, budding poet Tamaara Nambiar took us through her journey and also looked at the many existential questions that we all face in life.

The adage ‘make the best out of dull moments in life’, best suits the sixth grader. “The first poem that I wrote was when I was five years old.My grandma and I had a fight, so, I took my grandfather’s notepad and wrote a small poem about what I imagined my perfect day would be like. From then on, I realised how much I enjoyed writing. And I started writing more and more. When I was eight or nine, my grandfather suggested I compile the poems to create a poetry book, and I wrote a few more poems,” said Tamaara.

In praise of Tamaara’s poetry book, Congressman and prominent author Shashi Tharoor said, “The poems cover a wide range of themes and styles, from existential questions to the joys of a moonlit night.”

So, we were really eager to find out what the young poet had to say about the natural processes of birth and death. “I didn’t exactly learn about any of that stuff; I just imagined what it’d be like. I think birth is when someone is born and a new person enters the world. Death is when someone dies and moves on to another place that we don’t know about,” said Tamaara in an upbeat tone.

We all have influences, and they’re really important to learning the craft. Emulating the work of legends will help us discover our own style and personality. “My favourite author is JK Rowling, as her books are entertaining and descriptive. The other author I like is Rachel Renee Russell, as her books are relatable,” shared the author, speaking of her biggest writing influences.

It’s not really easy to come up with great writing material, but a few people are gifted. The charming poet definitely belongs to the gifted lot. From writing her first poem at the age of five to collaborating with popular artist Padma Shri Laxma Goud, Tamaara is in her best form at the moment. “Each poem takes about five to 10 minutes, but the illustrations took me about two hours each,” informed the ‘Undiscovered’ author.  

Speaking of her productive collaboration with Padma Shri Laxma Goud, she said, “It was a pleasure working with him. I’ve had a connection with him since I was very young. I used to draw for him and give it to him, and he used to do the same with me, ever since I was really young. It was pretty much the same as what I usually draw in front of him, but it was still really lovely.”

We were aware of the fact that Tamaara received a lot of compliments on the launch of her book. “I received a lot of compliments, so, I can’t exactly remember all of them. Many people have said I’m a child prodigy. So, I think that one was special.”

When we curiously asked her if she really thinks of herself as a child prodigy, she quickly replied assertively, “I’m not sure if I’m a child prodigy, but that’s a compliment that a lot of people have given me.”

The little wizard of words can sing too! Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are her favourite artists, “I love singing! I’ve always enjoyed singing. I started singing when I was three years old, and I’ve been listening to music since I was one.

I’m into western classical and pop music. Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are both my idols because I really like their songs. I know that it was a hard journey, especially for Taylor Swift to get there because she faced a lot of criticism too. I strive to become a singer, but I will continue writing, and like I said, I’m in the midst of writing two books.”

With great enthusiasm, Tamaara Nambiar remarked, “I want readers to believe that anything is possible. Be inspired, and one can do anything with hard work, motivation, self-confidence, passion, and talent.”

“I’m currently writing a book of short stories with my dad, and hopefully, it’ll be published soon. We’re just making some final edits and also looking for a publisher. And I plan on writing a novel. I haven’t started writing it, but it’ll be a murder mystery or some sort of mystery, or it could be an adventure fantasy,” signed off the young poet.

Young talent like Tamaara Nambiar shouldn’t be ignored at any cost. We must protect them and help them realise their potential to the fullest.