This engineer turned poetess from Gorakhpur is setting an example!

Manisha Shukla

This engineer turned poetess from Gorakhpur is setting an example!

Poetry is a medium that adds essence to life. The universe has been awarded with tremendous poets and poetesses. Poetry combines the emotions and weaves them in a perfectly rhythmic fashion through words. It frees a person from the prejudices of society. It has been often found that poetry changes the way people perceive life, it gives a ray of hope to the hopeless.

Manisha Shukla is one such poetess who has established an immensely remarkable presence in the world of Hindi poetry in India. Hailing from the land of ancient glory, Gorakhpur, Manisha's poetry glorifies romanticism. You can effortlessly spot her in kavi sammelans across the country.

A love for kavi sammelans
Manisha's love for poetry is easily visible in her works. She has participated in about 500 sammelans till now, which includes the 2020 edition of Lal Quila Kavi Sammelan which was held on the occasion of the Republic Day, where Manisha gracefully presented her poetry. She is usually invited for poetry shows among the students. She has performed in many DU Colleges like Janki devi College, Gargi college. She has also performed in IIT Delhi.

Manisha has also performed in events like Amar Ujala Bareilly Kavi Sammelan,Kavi Sammelan in Parliamaent of India, Keerti Kale Yuva Geetkar Samman that took place in Hindi Bhawan, Delhi, Pachmadhi Utsav Kavi Sammelan of MP Government.

Manisha always pleases the audience with her perfectly woven words. She also made a debut in the International events with Hong Kong Kavi Sammelan. She shared the stage with notable poets like Tej Narayan Sharma and Ramesh Muskan. Manisha Shukla participates in about 100 kavi sammelans every year.

Education and Profession
Manisha Shukla completed her initial schooling education from Gorakhpur and Allahabad. She did her Bachelor in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. She is also an alumni of the Associate Members of Institution of Engineers (AMIE). She now works as an engineer in BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited).

Jamia and poetry
As you enter the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia, there's a long statue of Mirza Ghalib that stands with pride and honour. The lawn in which this statue is erected has been named 'Gulistan e Ghalib'. Many students who are fond of poetry often find this place an inspiration to write and collect their thoughts.
It's amazing that Manisha has been a student of the same university. She states that her fondness for poetry can be traced from her childhood days, which grew deeper with time. Apart from poetry, she also finds strong interest in ghazals.

Featured
Manisha Shukla doesn't miss a chance of displaying the aura of her poetry. She has been featured in various poetry platforms like Kavita Kosh, Kavyanchal, Kavigram etc. Manisha has also appeared in many TV shows reciting her poetry with utmost grace.
She has also performed With Kumar Vishwas at KV Sammelan Show on Aaj Tak. She has been also seen on Zee TV, Republic Bharat, Surya Samachar and many more other Channels. She is also co-editor of a monthly digital Magazine 'Kavigram'

Awards and Words of appreciation
Manisha was awarded with Keeti Kale Yuwa Geetkar award in 2020. Soon her first book titled 'Meetha Kaghaz' will be published and reach the hands of poetry lovers.

The famous Indian poet, Surendra Sharma puts forth his admiration for Manisha as,
"हो सकता है मनीषा शुक्ला से बेहतर गीत किसी ने लिखे हों, लेकिन मुझे किसी का एक शेर याद आता है - कह दो मीर-ओ-ग़ालिब से, शेर हम भी कहते हैं वो सदी तुम्हारी थी, ये सदी हमारी है।"

(Maybe somebody has written songs/poems better than Manisha Shukla. But I remember a sher here - Tell Meer - o - Ghalib, we also narrate shers, that century was yours but this one is ours.)

When asked from Manisha about the best lines she ever wrote or the ones close to her heart, here's what she says,

"काग़ज़ मीठा हो जाता है, उसका नाम लिखा जाए तो
बातें ख़ुश्बू हो जाती हैं, उसके होंठों पर आएँ तो"

(His name sweetens the paper when written on it, words turn into fragrance when spoken from his lips)

Indeed, Manisha is a lover of romantic poetry. She places the words in a way that their meaning turns magical. Poetry is a genre of emotions and Manisha very well instills emotions in her poetry.