INTERVIEW WITH THE FRENCH AMERICAN CENTER
version français?
Who are you and what are you doing in Rodez?
I am Nav, a Londoner taking refuge in rural France. I moved to the Aveyron in 2002 following the birth of my first daughter in Paris and I have never looked back. It's quite a change from the energy of an ethnic diverse and vibrant capital where I spent all my formative years however much to the initial surprise of my London friends and to myself, it is here that I feel alive and thrive.
My time is devoted to my two passions, being a poet and a mother. I am blessed to be a mother of four dynamic daughters. So much of my time is devoted to their upbringing and helping them to unfold and become the kind of conscious human beings that we need on this planet. This is extremely important to me. I find a good balance between my life as a mother and an artist. As a mother I give and nurture others and as an artist I connect to myself on a daily basis and this nurtures me. I am a firm believer in filling up my cup in order to serve others.
What do you for a living?
I am a performance poet. I write poetry on a variety of themes and perform my work. Writing is a solitary experience which I enjoy very much however I also love sharing my work and connecting to others by performing my work on stage. This aspect goes hand in hand with the writing and is an enjoyable extension of the creative process.
I spend my time creating new pieces of work being inspired by absolutely every experience I am confronted with. Once the work is complete and I feel happy to share it, I work with Christophe Goutes, a DJ and an artist in Montpellier. He has an extensive musical knowledge and a great talent in selecting the right piece of music for each poem thus creating a wonderful synergy with the music and words.
I have recenty finished a 6 month project at the lycée François d’Estaing in Rodez where I was fortunate enough to work with 39 students to create a poetry perfomance. It was a highly audacious and enriching project for the students to write and perform poetry in a foreign language. It is important for me that the students feel the passion of poetry and not to judge poetry based on their preconceived ideas. The project was a huge success and I am very grateful to have had this experience to share my passion.
What is your work about ?
I write about humanism and themes which connects us all. This can be in the realm of identity, spirituality and our emotional inner landscape. This has a huge effect on us although we rarely give attention or importance to it in this society. We are all simply human and as humans we have an inner need to connect, to relate and share with our fellow humans on a deeper level. We all share the same emotions including sadness, anger, joy, love and loss. This is what makes us human. I enjoy connecting people in my poetry with emotion being the fuel. By sharing and expressing my emotions, emotions that have touched each and every one of us. I discover and rediscover my own inner contours and it is from this space that I write.
Where are you from?
I was born in the UK and spent all of my formative years in London. However my heritage spans across three continents. My grandparents were all born north west India, in Punjab. Like many thousands of Indians they moved to East Africa in the 1930s for employment and hence my parents were born in Kenya and Uganda. I feel blessed to have such a diverse cultural heritage which has influenced me in many ways. Mainly in accepting, respecting and celebrating our differences and treating everyone as an equal. I guess this is why I live happily in rural France. For me it’s about enriching our lives by sharing our cultures, not creating boundaries which separate and label us. Although I have a defined ancestry I always connect to the phrase « global citizen ». No matter where we live on our planet we are all connected. Despite the differences in language, culture, food on our plates, colour of our skins, we are all the same. Beyond labels, beyond culture, beyond skin.
What would you recommend one visits in your country of origin?
There are so many wonderful and magical sites in India however my absolute favourite is the Golden Temple in Punjab. I would highly urge anyone to go to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple, which is somewhat off the beaten track for non-Sikhs. Not only to visit the temple which beautifully floats upon water like a lotus flower, but especially to visit the temple kitchens. These are the largest free kitchens in the world. From here between 50,000 and 100,000 free hot meals are served on a daily basis regardless of faith, background, age, sex, colour. In fact there are absolute no barriers and no conditions. For me the Golden Temple is a beautiful and humble display of our collective power and the best of humanity in action. We can achieve so much together if we really choose to. I have worked with the homeless in London and in Barcelona and to see a fellow human without food or shelter saddens me on a deep level but also pushes me into action. I believe it saddens all of us if we allow ourselves to truly see what is happening, not to turn a blind eye and feel with the compassion that we are all born with.
When did you arrive in France and why?
I eased my way over to Paris in 2001 and after the birth of my first daughter. A year later I followed my intuition and left the Parisian city life to take refuge in the Averyon in rural, southern France. Much to the surprise of my London friends and to myself, it is here that I feel alive and thrive. I arrived here to escape the Parisan life with my partner who is from Rodez. Although I grew up in a big city I coud not imagine raising my family in Paris. I didn’t even question the move, I followed my intuition and went with the flow trusting what life had in store for me. And I most certainly made the best choice for me.
What do you love the most about where you live?
What I love the most about the Aveyron is it’s countryside. The countryside here in the Aveyron is wonderfully diverse with it’s gorges in the south of the department and the wilderness of the Larzac and the serenity of the Aubrac. For me the countryside of the Aveyron represents "the Mother". With her contrasting contours she is nurturing, grounding and a force to be reckoned with. I feel safe and protected by the power of her landscape and deeply nourished by the abundance of chlorophyll. Rural France welcomed me with acceptance, warmth and a tenderness for which I am very grateful.
Do you have a favourite bar or café in Rodez?
My favourite café in Rodez is café Bras which is located right next to the Museum Soulages. I love this café not only because I am a firm believer in excellent customer service combined with the best desserts in town (by french chef Michel Bras), but moreso I can enter this café and suddenly feel transported to a different time zone. I am grateful for my life here in rural France however from time to time I do enjoy escaping from the small town vibrations. Café Bras has a cosmpolitain feel with clients from all over France and all over the world. I suddenly forget where I am geographically and this can be a very liberating experience.
What are your projects for the future?
I am producing a new video in Brighton in the UK over summer which was presented to me after our performance at the Brighton Fringe Festival this year. I am also preparing for a perfomance at « Terrain Vague » in Sete at the end of summer for an open air performance overlooking the sea. TERRAIN VAGUE opens on 15th July and open every Sunday hosting a variety of performances and events.
I am currently sending a proposal for a performance with a contact improvisation dancer in Barcelona. If our proposal is accepted this will be the first time I work with poetry and dance. An exciting opportunity in a vibrant city. I am also looking to work with a musician which I feel could be very interesting contrast from working with a DJ. I like the idea of experimenting with different artists and seeing what emerges from the connection. Art is about diving in to the depths of creativity with fearlessness.
What would you say to someone who does not understand poetry ?
I understand that the idea of poetry can scare people. People have preconceived ideas of poetry and often that they cannot understand it. People try too hard and place the burden of expectation on themselves to understand the imagery, however I tell my audience to simply FEEL the words. Feel the passion and immerse yourself in it’s emotion. It has been said that poetry is the language of the heart and I agree. Let’s get out of our brains and feel the words, not with our minds but with our hearts.
Who are you and what are you doing in Rodez?
I am Nav, a Londoner taking refuge in rural France. I moved to the Aveyron in 2002 following the birth of my first daughter in Paris and I have never looked back. It's quite a change from the energy of an ethnic diverse and vibrant capital where I spent all my formative years however much to the initial surprise of my London friends and to myself, it is here that I feel alive and thrive.
My time is devoted to my two passions, being a poet and a mother. I am blessed to be a mother of four dynamic daughters. So much of my time is devoted to their upbringing and helping them to unfold and become the kind of conscious human beings that we need on this planet. This is extremely important to me. I find a good balance between my life as a mother and an artist. As a mother I give and nurture others and as an artist I connect to myself on a daily basis and this nurtures me. I am a firm believer in filling up my cup in order to serve others.
What do you for a living?
I am a performance poet. I write poetry on a variety of themes and perform my work. Writing is a solitary experience which I enjoy very much however I also love sharing my work and connecting to others by performing my work on stage. This aspect goes hand in hand with the writing and is an enjoyable extension of the creative process.
I spend my time creating new pieces of work being inspired by absolutely every experience I am confronted with. Once the work is complete and I feel happy to share it, I work with Christophe Goutes, a DJ and an artist in Montpellier. He has an extensive musical knowledge and a great talent in selecting the right piece of music for each poem thus creating a wonderful synergy with the music and words.
I have recenty finished a 6 month project at the lycée François d’Estaing in Rodez where I was fortunate enough to work with 39 students to create a poetry perfomance. It was a highly audacious and enriching project for the students to write and perform poetry in a foreign language. It is important for me that the students feel the passion of poetry and not to judge poetry based on their preconceived ideas. The project was a huge success and I am very grateful to have had this experience to share my passion.
What is your work about ?
I write about humanism and themes which connects us all. This can be in the realm of identity, spirituality and our emotional inner landscape. This has a huge effect on us although we rarely give attention or importance to it in this society. We are all simply human and as humans we have an inner need to connect, to relate and share with our fellow humans on a deeper level. We all share the same emotions including sadness, anger, joy, love and loss. This is what makes us human. I enjoy connecting people in my poetry with emotion being the fuel. By sharing and expressing my emotions, emotions that have touched each and every one of us. I discover and rediscover my own inner contours and it is from this space that I write.
Where are you from?
I was born in the UK and spent all of my formative years in London. However my heritage spans across three continents. My grandparents were all born north west India, in Punjab. Like many thousands of Indians they moved to East Africa in the 1930s for employment and hence my parents were born in Kenya and Uganda. I feel blessed to have such a diverse cultural heritage which has influenced me in many ways. Mainly in accepting, respecting and celebrating our differences and treating everyone as an equal. I guess this is why I live happily in rural France. For me it’s about enriching our lives by sharing our cultures, not creating boundaries which separate and label us. Although I have a defined ancestry I always connect to the phrase « global citizen ». No matter where we live on our planet we are all connected. Despite the differences in language, culture, food on our plates, colour of our skins, we are all the same. Beyond labels, beyond culture, beyond skin.
What would you recommend one visits in your country of origin?
There are so many wonderful and magical sites in India however my absolute favourite is the Golden Temple in Punjab. I would highly urge anyone to go to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple, which is somewhat off the beaten track for non-Sikhs. Not only to visit the temple which beautifully floats upon water like a lotus flower, but especially to visit the temple kitchens. These are the largest free kitchens in the world. From here between 50,000 and 100,000 free hot meals are served on a daily basis regardless of faith, background, age, sex, colour. In fact there are absolute no barriers and no conditions. For me the Golden Temple is a beautiful and humble display of our collective power and the best of humanity in action. We can achieve so much together if we really choose to. I have worked with the homeless in London and in Barcelona and to see a fellow human without food or shelter saddens me on a deep level but also pushes me into action. I believe it saddens all of us if we allow ourselves to truly see what is happening, not to turn a blind eye and feel with the compassion that we are all born with.
When did you arrive in France and why?
I eased my way over to Paris in 2001 and after the birth of my first daughter. A year later I followed my intuition and left the Parisian city life to take refuge in the Averyon in rural, southern France. Much to the surprise of my London friends and to myself, it is here that I feel alive and thrive. I arrived here to escape the Parisan life with my partner who is from Rodez. Although I grew up in a big city I coud not imagine raising my family in Paris. I didn’t even question the move, I followed my intuition and went with the flow trusting what life had in store for me. And I most certainly made the best choice for me.
What do you love the most about where you live?
What I love the most about the Aveyron is it’s countryside. The countryside here in the Aveyron is wonderfully diverse with it’s gorges in the south of the department and the wilderness of the Larzac and the serenity of the Aubrac. For me the countryside of the Aveyron represents "the Mother". With her contrasting contours she is nurturing, grounding and a force to be reckoned with. I feel safe and protected by the power of her landscape and deeply nourished by the abundance of chlorophyll. Rural France welcomed me with acceptance, warmth and a tenderness for which I am very grateful.
Do you have a favourite bar or café in Rodez?
My favourite café in Rodez is café Bras which is located right next to the Museum Soulages. I love this café not only because I am a firm believer in excellent customer service combined with the best desserts in town (by french chef Michel Bras), but moreso I can enter this café and suddenly feel transported to a different time zone. I am grateful for my life here in rural France however from time to time I do enjoy escaping from the small town vibrations. Café Bras has a cosmpolitain feel with clients from all over France and all over the world. I suddenly forget where I am geographically and this can be a very liberating experience.
What are your projects for the future?
I am producing a new video in Brighton in the UK over summer which was presented to me after our performance at the Brighton Fringe Festival this year. I am also preparing for a perfomance at « Terrain Vague » in Sete at the end of summer for an open air performance overlooking the sea. TERRAIN VAGUE opens on 15th July and open every Sunday hosting a variety of performances and events.
I am currently sending a proposal for a performance with a contact improvisation dancer in Barcelona. If our proposal is accepted this will be the first time I work with poetry and dance. An exciting opportunity in a vibrant city. I am also looking to work with a musician which I feel could be very interesting contrast from working with a DJ. I like the idea of experimenting with different artists and seeing what emerges from the connection. Art is about diving in to the depths of creativity with fearlessness.
What would you say to someone who does not understand poetry ?
I understand that the idea of poetry can scare people. People have preconceived ideas of poetry and often that they cannot understand it. People try too hard and place the burden of expectation on themselves to understand the imagery, however I tell my audience to simply FEEL the words. Feel the passion and immerse yourself in it’s emotion. It has been said that poetry is the language of the heart and I agree. Let’s get out of our brains and feel the words, not with our minds but with our hearts.