Monday Delight - Vinay aka Leo

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The new members who do not know about the concept of Monday Delight kindly read Monday Delight – A WL Interview Series

To make up for the Mondays when Monday Delight was not posted, this Monday we are making it a Double Monday Delight with the sibling duo of The Writers' Lounge. So here we have Vinay aka Leo’s (popularly known as ‘the poetic prince’ of the lounge) interview.

#Kajal aka Pink Orchid’s interview will be posted today some time later.
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Admin:
Hello dear member. are you ready?

Vinay:
oh helloz admin, had a nice day? :P

Admin:
Oh yes it was a good day. so let's start with the interview
Define Vinay in two sententence

Vinay:
hmm.. Vinay is someone who is always looking to improve himself. Someone who is good friend, good son and a good sibling.

Admin:
oh
tell us why do you think you are a good friend?

Vinay:
you should ask my friends that. they will tell you better. i just told u becoz they tell me i am a good friend :)

Admin:
oh I see..
you said you want to keep improving
tell us 3 things you don't have and you want to improve to those things.

Vinay:
you cannot improve on things that you do not have. only if u have something basic can you improve.
:P

Admin:
exactly.. what are three improvements you want to see in yourself..

Vinay:
1. i want to become a better poet. they call me poetry prince but i beg to differ. there is no prince or rhyme god, who cannot improve himself and become better
2. i want to become a better son. there have been expectations put on me by my parents, and some i have not lived upto. i would like to try and change that
3. i want to improve my social skills. sometimes i come across as shy which i am not.
:)

Admin:
wow! you definitely have done some personal analysis. good.
Is Leo different from Vinay? If yes Define leo in two sentences? If not, then why do you blog in the name of Leo?

Vinay:
one minute plz. call...

Admin:
ok

Vinay:
right.
Leo is different from Vinay. Leo is like an alternate aura, who comes on when inspired to write. Leo is someone who is there deep within Vinay, but like a werewolf comes only at the sight of the full moon, Leo comes only when inspired.
as for using Leo as my pen name, the nick was conferred on my by RiverSoul. so I started using that during the countdown to my 100th post celebration.

Admin:
oh ok..
How many blogs do you own, individually?

Vinay:
individually I own 3 blogs.

Admin:
Tell us about each of them?

Vinay:
my blogs are I Rhyme Without Reason, ImPromptu and Conjuring Kreativity.
the first one is my main poems blog, where the inspiration most of the time is found from deep within my heart. the depth is there in the words.
the second one is the prompts blog, where I do poems/stories that are inspired by using prompt blogs.
the third is my non poetic blog, for stories and just random thoughts of mine.

Admin:
since when have you been writing poems

Vinay:
do u mean on my blog specifically? or just at random?

Admin:
at random
even before blogging

Vinay:
I first started writing poetry at the age of seven. that makes it in third standard I guess.

Admin:
what inspired you to write your first poem ever?

Vinay:
a butterfly that hovered past me while I was writing some notes that I had missed when on leave. I forgot the notes and wrote my first poem. four lines if I remember right.

Admin:
wow! so you were such an observant poet since then
very good.
when did you start blogging?

Vinay:
November of 2006... but I was inactive those days. actively started in June 2008.

Admin:
oh and why did you start blogging

Vinay:
the idea of a good friend... he had supported my poetry since fifth grade, so he thought it'd be a wonderful platform to share my poetry...

Admin:
you seem to be having some great friends Vinay
what is the one thing that can make you delete a blog of yours?

Vinay:
thank u. the friend himself blogs.. so he was a support after blogging too.
I'd delete a blog of mine, if I feel its not given enough time by me. rather than keeping it idle, its better to delete it or combine it with another active blog of mine..

Admin:
and in the present situation thinking of the criteria you just mentioned which blog could be deleted?
as in if you had to delete one.

Vinay:
none. all 3 of my current individual blogs are active.

Admin:
yes you have a point.
ok what according to you is the most positive thing about being a poet?

Vinay:
to me the most positive thing is that we can express freely however we want to.
to some it may need structure, depth, format and so, but poetry is about writing from the heart. it can be anything. a simple tribute to a friendship, or an apology to a loved one after making a mistake. when it comes from ur heart, it needn't rhyme also, poetry is positive.

Admin:
an apt answer then what according to you is the negative thing about being a poet?

Vinay:
negative? a poet can make a negative thing positive. if others read "lifeisnowhere" as "life is nowhere" a poet always tries to read it as "life is now here" ... a poem can give a smile during sorrow. then why look at negative things? isn't it better to be optimistic?

Admin:
you seem to be a very optimistic person

Vinay:
i am. when the world around is pessimistic about me, if i am not optimistic, then i don't see any hope left. its better to be optimistic and believe in myself.

Admin:
very inspirational indeed.

Vinay:
thanks :)

Admin:
ok if you had to write a fiction series as co-write.. who would it be with and why?

Vinay:
a fiction series? i'd write it with kajal. i had asked her before itself if she'd want to write with me. she had told yes, but i think she has forgotten. i should remind her. i choose her, because we siblings are on same wavelength usually. her style suits me. so it'd make a good combination. :)

Admin:
we would look forward to a series then.
are you a part of group blogs?

Vinay:
duh. if i wasn't part of the best group blog around (the lounge) i wouldn't be gettin interviewed for MD now would i? ;) :P


Admin:
I meant group blogs apart from WL
:P


Vinay:
yes. i am part of two other group blogs. i used to be part of 3 but i lost one, when i changed my ID.

Admin:
oh..
tell us something about these blogs you are a part of?
are you there Vinay?

Vinay:
1. Time to Rhyme: technically, it is a duet blog. only two of us are there, myself and Callie... we write poems there. together. :) alternate verses on different topics. its going quite good, probably because of our similar styles i guess :)
2. Gateway of India: the group blog relating to India. we are right now 10 in number, and we write anything and everything on India. +ve -ve tourism etc...
I type slow Admin. its difficult to see in dark the keyboard :D
:)

Admin:
why are you seeing the keyboard in dark? lights?

Vinay:
why waste current simply? :P i can manage fine without it...

Admin:
oh you will hurt your eyes.
anyways.when did you join Wl

Vinay:
there is no harm to eyes by reading in dark, thats proven. :D so not much harm blogging in dark either! :D
i don't know the exact date. but it was during the WL Rain Drenched Lounge contest! :)

Admin:
oh ok and how did you come to know of the lounge

Vinay:
i didn't... :) i met Stephen the Solitary Writer first, when he dropped by at my poems blog. later we met on Orkut too. he invited me directly.

Admin:
oh
tell us something about Stephen

Vinay:
i think he can do it better, don't you? :P

Admin:
nope
i am sure you have some opintion about the person who invited you.
to WL

Vinay:
sure i do. :) he's a super writer, who can write both poems and stories... fiction and reality ... in an awesome form. though he considers himself a "not-so-good" poet... his works on lounge have proved him wrong more than enough times. he has a very short fuse and gets upset for the shortest of things... but a fantastic friend who sooner rather than later, gets back to normal and makes up for that loss of temper :)
*smallest of things.

Admin:
ah.. yes he is all that and more

Vinay:
:D

Admin:
coming back to you, -- When do you get more poetic inspirations? Day or night?

Vinay:
depends dear Admin, inspiration can be anything!
the stars or the moon, the clouds in the blue sky,
a drop of dew, or a beautiful little butterfly,
even some words, that strike a chord in the heart,
anything dear Admin, can give a poem a start! :D

Admin:
ah and we have something poetic in the interview itself.
impressive,

Vinay:
whats interview with moi without a bit of poetry? :P it'll make it more personal too i felt so wrote :)

Admin:
ofcourse it did..
:)
Who according to you is the best relation to inspire a poem? Mother, father and lover?

Vinay:
all relations play inspiration in poetry, though for me, Lover used to be the best inspiration.

Admin:
I am sure... a lot of poets would say the same thing.

Vinay:
depends. basically the poem is on the emotion, not the relation :)

Admin:
no i meant most of the poems are dedications too as in the emotions brought to you because of a certain person. Why is the ‘love’ the most attempted topic in fiction and/or poem in the blogsville?

Vinay:
Love is most attempted, because it is in everyone. even the cruelest of hearts will have atleast an ounce of love in it.

Admin:
agreed.. rightly said
Vinay have you made friends virtually through WL or otherwise?

Vinay:
could u please rephrase your question Admin, i am not following your query.

Admin:
All i meant to ask was whether you have made friends in the world of blogs

Vinay:
yes of course. many friends I have made virtually. they form an important part of my life.

Admin:
i am sure they do..tell us about three best friends of yours made virtually

Vinay:
hmm...
raash is my best-est friend virtually... we met on rain drenched contest results day, and we chatted in shoutbox quite a lot that day. then later on Gtalk on the day we became WL moderators.
prats... we have met also, since we stay in same city. v talk a lot, msg 16 hours a day :D quite the party we both have
yamini... yamini is the new member at lounge. a girl with a fierce passion for poetry and a lovely blend of words. she quite willing to learn new styles too, and is quite an acrostic ace :)

i can't say just three, i know that.. but since u specifically asked for three, i stop here :)
ps: i haven't included siblings becoz that is obvious :P

Admin:
very lovely friends must say.
oh ok
You are one of the admins of WL. Do you think all the admins (moderators) are well deserved bloggers? what according to you is the criteria to make someone an admin?

Vinay:
yeah, i am one of the "moderators" :) yeah i guess all are deserved... obviously the founders have to be there, other than that.. Kajal and Raash... they are quite brilliant at what they do. so they deserve to be there! :)
I don't decide who to make Admin. so I'll not comment on criteria thanks. :)

Admin:
hhahhaaha diplomatic answer.
ok
top 3 poets at WL according to you and why?
those particular choices
?

Vinay:
top : Pratsie - the Queen of Poems. she tries a lot of styles and her words take ur breath away.
2nd: Kajal - a good sense of rhyme. writes from the heart. simple language sense.
3rd: Adi aka Lover - he is inactive these days, but his words have depth and a nice feel to it.

Admin:
ah..
poets meant male poets..
so who else apart from Adi and why?

Vinay:
oh? top is Adi then.
2nd: Tan - his works are quite good. takes enthusiasm in learning new styles too.
3rd: Maverick - dark poems are his forte. but he writes anything and everything beautifully.
:)

Admin:
and who is the other top poetess according to you apart from Prats and Kajal?

Vinay:
I'd give it joint to Asbah and Rashi. they both write well, each in their own style, though Asbah is very much inactive these days. hoping she comes back soon though.

Admin:
good choices there Vinay
and top 3 fiction writers according to you ?

Vinay:
Stephen, Sandeep and Insiya

Admin:
and we all know why.. good choices again ..
:)
who according to you is the most promising new comer at WL since the day you have joined?

Vinay: :)
Since the day I have joined? :O thats like 4 to 6 months.. the lounge has had many new comers since then, myself included :)
Newcomer lately the best and most promising, I feel its Ms.R ... i don't know her name though. she writes all sort of posts with enthusiasm....

Admin:
oh so you think since the day you joined WL Ms. R is the most promising new comer.
alright Vinay

Vinay:
a new comer, is someone who has just joined. not who has been there since 5 months. it dont make sense to me :P

Admin:
ok if i rephrase the question to who has been the most impressive lounger/writer at WL who came after you came in. I am sure we have a lot of options for this answer. but you have to choose one and why'd you choose him/her

Vinay:
oh, I'd choose Kajal for sure. the amount of time she spends at the lounge is awesome. not just as a moderator, but as a friend and guide to many. her posts are beautiful. and she honestly comments for others post too.

Admin:
ok your answers keep changing.. looks like you are a very sweet person and love all the newcomers.

Vinay:
sure... they are the future of lounge.. u shd support them :))

Admin:
ofcourse, well said. We have heard you have virtual sibling at WL? Tell us what is this concept of virtual sibling? And who is he/she?
What happened that made you feel he/she could be your virtual sister?

Vinay:
are u sure u don't know who she is? :O hmm... what an admin!!
her name is Kajal, aka the Pink Orchid. Concept of virtual sibling? haha.. no concept as such dear Admin... we felt we knew each other quite well, like siblings. thats all.
besides, she was poetic princess and me the poetic prince acc to WL.. so prince and princess is siblings na
so...

Admin:
hahaha what a description
i am sure you are aware of the irresistible series Vinay, what is your take on it and why didnt we see any contribution from you? You write poems promptly as we all know so did irresistilble not prompt you to attempt some fib
?

Vinay:
Irresistible series saw some of the best poetry at WL... from different writers, in both Fib and Non Fib poems... the pictures used at first was okay, but as it went on, the pictures became more sensual too. so much so that my sister who reads WL was wondering why WL has undergone sudden sensual transformation. I am not good with syllabic poetry, so Fib was not much interesting to me. and sensual isn't my forte either.
:)

Admin:
oh alrgiht.. understandable..
Do you think there are some readers in WL who just write and post but don’t read others and leave a comment? Do you think it is justified? Do you still read such writers who just write but don’t read anyone ever?

Vinay:
hmm...

Admin:
so your answer would be?
are you there?

Vinay:
it is difficult dear Admin...

Admin:
so are you thinking?

Vinay:
with the no. of posts a day on lounge to comment in every post honestly, it takes a lot of time.
not everyone has that much time... so that can be justified i guess.

Admin:
good
understandable point again..but still there are a few writers who dont read anyone just post and leave
you think so?

Vinay:
next question plz admin :P

Admin:
What will u ask if god comes in front of you?

Vinay:
i'd pinch myself first :P then ask him to give me a 100 wishes more :D

Admin:
hahaha
funny
What contest would you like to see on WL next?

Vinay:
i'd like a picture based contest actually... so both poetry and prose can be entered, and separately declare winners in both categories.... common picture for both of course :)

Admin:
must be good
What according to you is successful blogging – more readers or more quality work?

Vinay:
more quality work. its not the quantity of work or comments that matter. because a tercet haiku can convey as much meaning as a 200 word story :)

Admin:
yup
exactly
Is there anyone in your life who you can consinder as a mentor and why?

Vinay:
a mentor?
as a blogger, my mentor would be my friend Nirmal. he is the one who made me start blogging, and his words are also good. he is inactive now though.
i don't have any mentor for poetry in my life. i started out on my own and continued that way.

Admin:
hmm
Have you ever been deeply hurt by an incident at WL? Tell us about it.

Vinay:
yeah i have been hurt. but i cannot tell about it. it is personal, and i'd prefer to keep it that way.

Admin:
we want to knw it

Vinay:
i dont want to tell. and u cannot force me to. next question plz.

Admin:
haww
If you had to change the slogan of WL from ‘we read, we write, we lounge’ to something else what would it be?

Vinay:
i wouldn't change anything about that slogan! it fits perfectly :) i'd suggest "we inspire" as an addition to it, since we are finding many poems/stories inspired by other poems/stories itself :)

Admin:
yes
# What do you think about lounge heroes ‘stepMAN’ and Sandeep Malan.?

Vinay:
i do not know much about either one... i've been following the hype on StepMan, but to hurt someone and start a series was a bit over the top i felt.
goes for Malan series too.

Admin:
hope sandeep and ste are listening this
hahaha

ur take on sandsteism.. ..fight, friendship, brotherly bond..comment on it .

Vinay:
haha.. :D i never knew it had a name... :D
both are best friends, and best friends fight. if that friendship is brotherly, then the fights are more playful than hurtful. they fight, and they make up for that fight soon too. quite a remarkable bond indeed. may it never be separated.
:)
Admin:
:D
ur take on kajal writing happy posts after a series of frowns.....

Vinay:
lolz. my sister has a very active emotional state :) so its not weird to see her writing sad for a while and then writing a happy one. its good to see actually. :) and after the rain comes the rainbow, so after the barrage of sadness, a happy post is just about right :) perfecto :)

Admin:
Tell us about the founders of WL. What do they mean to you individually?

Vinay:
Asbah - the best writer, if she is active. her enthusiasms for haiku are quite good. a great friend to me.
Stephen - the solitary reason for my stay at lounge. the day he leaves, I leave too. a support to my blogging too.
Sandeep - not much known to me. in the little time that i've known him, i've found him to be a fun guy and a good friend.

Admin:
hm
some one word and why answers and you can’t say ‘pass’!
Your favorite blogger and why?

Vinay:
does he/she have to be from WL?

Admin:
no

Vinay:
favorite blogger is Mayank Mediratta, for his expressing of thoughts so beautifully in single sentences.

Admin:
your favorite food and why?

Vinay:
mom's food. becoz its the best.

Admin:
one person in WL you cannot stand?

Vinay:
Chirag... jab uska temper jata hai, to usko bhi nahin pata ki kya keh raha hai.
good guy other than this one setback though.
:)
Admin:
haha
chirag hope u r reading this

Vinay:
he will be dont worry. and he will take it fine i am sure :)

Admin:
One person in WL you don’t know but would want to know more about him/her,?

Vinay:
Ms. R, her posts show quite an insight... and I find that she has a lot of promise as a new comer to WL.

Admin:
one person you’d take out on a date from WL and why?

Vinay:
Raash, because she is my best friend, and we already agreed to meet soon :)

Admin:
who from WL according to you needs to go for an anger control therapy and why?

Vinay:
Stephen. because he gets angry for the smallest of reasons... it takes a while to pacify him though :)

Admin:
angry young man called solitary writer
hahaha

Vinay:
young? :P :D ;)

Admin:
:P

Vinay:
he's very old :P experienced fella.

Admin:
hahaha
experienced in wht sense

Vinay:
writing sense duh... experience can be seen in his words... hence he is famous in bloggerville. :)

Admin:
Do you get irritated by unnecessary or too much of negative criticism?

Vinay:
yes. a simple emphasis on the place where i can improve would be fine. but over pointing of that mistake gets me irritated. because no one is perfect, and all are learning. u cant expect perfection.

welcome back admin :D long time no see. :P

Admin:
ok one person you'd like to bring to WL and why?

Vinay:
hmm... farah yameen. aka think tank. she writes quite well , and would be an asset to WL i feel.

Admin:
oh alright try and bring her in Vinay then.. we are always open to new talent.

Vinay:
will try :)

Admin:
ok now lets go on to the members' questions. shall we?

Vinay:
as u wish.
:)

Admin:
Vitruvian asks- what do you think about E = MC^2

Vinay:
remove the equals and u get a very good storage based company, the top in the world EMC^2 :)
i m going for their certification soon, so thats what pops into head immediately right now.
nice question though Vitruvian.... will think more clearly later and get back to you.
:)

Admin:
Insiya asks- how does Vinay define Leo
chirag asks-why he named himself leo any reason behind this
similar questions
so your answer would be?

Vinay:
i already have answered this question at the start of this interview Insi :) Leo is the aura that comes on when inspiration hits Vinay! :) like a werewolf at the full moon, Leo is during inspired times. :)

reason for Leo is also mentioned at start Chirag. :) its a nickname given to me by RiverSoul. thats all. :)

Admin:
Neha asks- What are the three greatest fears you have in life? And why?

Vinay:
Doc, my greatest fear is losing those who are dear to me, because of something that I said. because of my fault. I can't handle their silence forever, becoz i said somethin that I shouldn't have.

Admin:
three greatest fears Vinay
are there none else?

Vinay:
none compare to this one admin. this is the greatest.

Admin:
Neha's another question - What is the single most significant moment of achievement in your life that you'll always remember and be proud about?

Vinay:
Doc, that moment would be when I stopped a friend from comitting suicide. I cannot reveal the name of course, but he was about to, and I didn't let him to. that is something I am proud of doing.

Admin:
a very proud moment indeed

Asbah asks- how exactly can he write so well, mashallah
2) who does he think will be his love-princess
3) how many kids he wants to have -
4)where do u think yourself in 10 years span

Vinay:
lolz. ..
1. i write so well because i have a great support system in friends. they encourage me point out where i can better myself etc, so i learn with every post. and improve.
2. love princess? hmm.. i don't think that another "love princess" will come considering the love of my life is no longer by my side or anyone elses for that matter.
3. lemme get married first... have to find another princess too u see
4. i'll be 32 years old in 10 years span and still writing at WL

Admin:
very witty answer and sorry for the thing you said about your Love Princess
it was a wonderful experience interviewing you Vinay. Good night and have a nice day tomorrow.

Vinay:
u too admin... u too.

Next Monday Delight with Rashi aka R.V.