अजय कुमार साह is a कृषि वैज्ञानिक and agricultural education administrator with more than 28 years of experience in agriculture research and education. Alongside his professional career, he has developed a sustained interest in Hindi literature, books and poetry. His published work spans more than 350 technical research papers, books and articles related to agriculture, entrepreneurship and associated subjects. He admires the literary works of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shivmangal Singh ‘Suman’ and Harivansh Rai Bachchan, and has long nurtured the aspiration to write in Hindi. With इजहार-ए-इश्क: अधूरी ख्वाहिश, he turns toward a deeply personal literary theme: the selfless love a man may experience for a woman who takes shape within his imagination, emotions and inner world.
The Literature Times: इजहार-ए-इश्क: अधूरी ख्वाहिश is built around 101 poems and the emotional presence of an imagined beloved. What first inspired you to give this particular inner experience a poetic form?
अजय कुमार साह: Since my college days I was fond of poetic literature and great believer of selfless love and affection. I was inspired by true love emotions of Radha-Krishna and ethos of Meera for her selfless love for Krishna. The eternal beauty in nature specially during rainy nights, early morning, blooming flowers and chanting birds always keep me close to my imagined beloved.
The Literature Times: Your book explores love not only as romance but also as a form of pure, selfless and unwavering devotion. How do you understand the relationship between romantic love and spiritual devotion in your poetry?
अजय कुमार साह: when we talk about romance it is more about attraction towards a woman for her beauty, likeness and pleasing appearance or presence. Romance is always about to some kind of expectation from beloved one and many times it may be physical or materialistic.
Once your soul is attached with romance with no expectation and you respect the emotions of your beloved, always pray for her wellbeing and happiness under all circumstances at any cost; this state of relationship is true love jise ham ISHQ kahte hain. Jab rumani ehsas aapko ruhani hone kaa ehsas de to samajhiye aap love ke spiritual devotion level tak pahuch gaye hain.
The Literature Times: The collection draws upon the emotional traditions associated with Radha-Krishna and Meera’s devotion to Krishna. What significance do these literary and cultural traditions hold for your understanding of love?
अजय कुमार साह: as I said love is not about to get or receive or ask but true love always signifies the true understanding between partners, respecting emotions, likeness, dislikeness of each other. When you accept your beloved in totality, ready to sacrifice anything for happiness of beloved one, then you are in true love.
Radha yeh jankar bhi ki Krishna sansarik rishte me unka nahi hoga phir bhi radha ne krishna se prem kiya, Meera shadisuda hote hua bhi krishna bhakti me premika jaisi deewani thi….. yehi to sachha prem hai jise maine apne poetry work me ISHQ KAHA HAI.
The Literature Times: The idea of an “incomplete wish” is central to the title. How did longing, incompleteness or unfulfilled emotion influence the creative direction of the collection?
अजय कुमार साह: when you achieve or get your wish or desire fulfilled, it is not ISHQ but only ROMANCE or materialistic love. True love is not about to get what u want rather it is to always give or sacrifice for happiness of your beloved one. Jis love relationship me bina kuch pane ki iksha ke aap apne premika se ruhani ehsason ke sath jur jaate hain wohi ISHQ hota hai, warna is duniya me to har koi pyar karne ka dikhawa karta hai. Unfulfilled emotions in love for my beloved woman was expressed in creative work in the form of IJHAR-E-ISHQ.
The Literature Times: With a professional career spanning more than 28 years in agriculture and education, how did you balance your technical and administrative responsibilities with the personal discipline required to write poetry?
अजय कुमार साह: Creativity always has its way to be expressed despite all busy schedule and professional commitment. After hectic day in office, I engaged myself in imagination during late evening, night and early morning, and it was quite fulfilling for my personal wish and creativity. If you want to be successful, always be a good human being and true love emotions transform you from accomplished professional to a good human.
The Literature Times: Your professional publications have largely been connected with agriculture, entrepreneurship and related subjects. What was the most challenging aspect of moving from technical writing into Hindi literary expression?
अजय कुमार साह: publish my work in the form of technical publications was demand of my professional achievement. Expressing emotions in hindi literary work is my dream. Fulfill your dream is always challenging for anyone. I was groomed to take challenge with sincerity since my childhood. Being a author of technical publications is my achievement or professional growth but being a Hindi poetic writer narrating eternal love is my life success.
The Literature Times: After completing the 101-poem collection, what do you hope readers will carry with them—an emotional experience, a new understanding of love, a sense of devotion, or something more personal?
अजय कुमार साह: my work is not new, several authors like Rashkan, Kabir, Bashir Badr, Neeraj Ji, Mahadevi Verma has narrated the love in their contemporary time. Being in love I narrated my ethos of love in my own way, and it was inspired by Radha-Krishna and Meera, moreover by my love for nature beauty.
The Literature Times: Now that your long-held aspiration to write in Hindi has taken the form of this book, what literary direction would you like to explore next, and are there any future writing projects you would like to share with your readers?
अजय कुमार साह: yes, now I am excited to share my thoughts and emotions about life philosophy, faith, youth emotions, ever going struggle of life and human, etc. My creative work is underway and shortly shall revert back to readers with my new collections of poetry work in hindi.
