Bhavya Bhagtani
LightNews LightNews
bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
Bhavya Bhagtani
@bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
17 followers 40 following 1 posts
Lead Poetry Editor at @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Bhavya Bhagtani
blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
The world of literature lost a profoundly influential voice on December 23rd, 2025. Here are some quotes Blackbird is lucky to have from and about the great Vinod Kumar Shukla. More about him and his wise words can be read in his featured interview and Bhavya Bhagtani's review in Flight 23.2.
Teal background. White text at top reads, “Honoring Renowned Author” on one line, followed by larger cursive-style text reading, “Vinod Kumar Shukla.” Centered below is a black-and-white portrait photograph of an elderly man with short white hair, glasses, and a serious expression, wearing a light-colored kurta-style shirt. Beneath the portrait, white text reads, “(1937 – 2025).” A small white bird icon appears near the bottom center. Teal background with centered white text. The text reads: “Born in 1937 in Rajnandgaon, a city in the state of Chhattisgarh in Central India, Vinod Kumar Shukla (phonetically pronounced ‘shook-l’) was one of the most important poets of modern Hindi literature. With work that spans over the course of more than five decades, Shukla was awarded some of the highest national and international accolades, with his poetry and prose appearing in journals like Granta, Plume, Metamorphoses and elsewhere.” A small white bird icon appears centered near the bottom. Teal background with centered white text. The text reads: “In 1999, he was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award, one of the most significant literary honours of India. In 2023, PEN America awarded him the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature. Needless to say, Blackbird is lucky to have gotten to feature his words and insights so shortly before his passing. The following slides include quotes from and about the dearly missed Vinod Kumar Shukla.” A small white bird icon appears centered near the bottom. Teal background. White text at top reads: “From Bhavya Bhagtani’s ‘Interview with Vinod Kumar Shukla’ from Flight 23.2:” Centered below is a quotation in white text: “Time exists all the time. But it is time that passes us by. Every single moment of ours slips into the past that was once gathered in the present. Likewise, moments from our future continually get added to the treasure that is our present.” Below the quote, the name “Vinod Kumar Shukla” appears in italicized white text. A small white bird icon is centered near the bottom.
December 31, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by Bhavya Bhagtani
blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
@bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
Teal background. White text at top reads: “From Bhavya Bhagtani’s ‘Review: Vinod Kumar Shukla’s TREASURER OF PIGGY BANKS’ from Flight 23.2:” Below, a centered quotation in white text reads: “Shukla tackles time and its linearity (or the lack thereof) with nuanced cleverness. He seldom relies on metaphors, and states what is as it is, giving the poems a subliminal texture, thereby effortlessly illuminating the most ordinary realities. The poem ‘Continuously’ is an exquisite contemplation of the transience of time. Here is how it begins:” A white arrow icon near the bottom points to the right, indicating continuation. Teal background. A small illustrated brown leaf appears near the top. Below it, centered white text reads: “Continuously, / at regular intervals / one dry leaf after another / falls from the tree. / Which is why / I mutter under my breath / that the tree is a wristwatch. / A friend overhears me. / It takes time to tell the time. / A dry leaf falls / as though it were a second. (41)” Another illustrated brown leaf appears near the bottom of the slide. Teal background. White text at top reads: “From Bhavya Bhagtani’s ‘Interview with Vinod Kumar Shukla’ from Flight 23.2:” Centered below is a quotation in white text: “For poets… If you believe that you have written a poem, then it is a poem you have written, even if others may disagree. However, do pay attention to what others have to say and ponder upon it.” Below the quote, the name “Vinod Kumar Shukla” appears in italicized white text. A small white bird icon is centered near the bottom.
December 31, 2025 at 5:22 PM
bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
vinod kumar shukla ji's passing feels oddly personal, an unnavigable grief. his words are the closest i've come to feeling understood by poetry. grateful i had the fortune of interviewing him earlier this year. rest in peace, vinod ji. this loss is monumental.

blackbird.vcu.edu/interview-wi...
Interview with Vinod Kumar Shukla
blackbird.vcu.edu
December 24, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Bhavya Bhagtani
opn-mind-get-insde.bsky.social
Day 184. 7/3/25. “[Writing a poem,]”. Vinod Kumar Shukla. Translated from Hindi by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra. #TBT 2008. #poemaday365
July 3, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Bhavya Bhagtani
blackbirdjournal.bsky.social
Meet our dearest Bhavya! Check out Flight 24.1's poetry section to see how her hard work has come to fruition. 🪶

blackbird.vcu.edu @bhavyabhagtani.bsky.social
A pastel purple background fades into pink at the bottom. At the top, large italic text reads, “Editor Spotlight:”. Below it is a portrait of Bhavya Bhagtani, a woman with shoulder-length dark hair with light ends, wearing a black floral patterned shirt. Along the right side of the image runs a vertical illustrated vine with pastel leaves and flowers. Beneath the portrait, bold dark brown text reads “Bhavya Bhagtani,” and below that, “Lead Poetry Editor.” The Blackbird bird logo appears at the bottom. A pastel gradient background, purple at the top shifting to pink at the bottom. On the left side is a tall illustrated vine with green stems and pale peach flower shapes. Near the top center is the blackbird silhouette. Centered text reads: “My absolute favorite part of working with my interns undoubtedly is the outright revelatory and wonderful conversations the submissions we receive lead us into having, which by the end of every meeting, leave us with not just something new in terms of learning and understanding, but also help us unearth new facets of our reader and writer selves.” Another small Blackbird silhouette appears at the bottom. A pastel gradient background from purple to pink. The top center has a blackbird silhouette. Text is centered and reads: ""Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of Louise Glück, Mary Ruefle and John Berger, as well as works of Hindi writers like Premchand and Vinod Kumar Shukla—and looking for poems that transcend the reader in similar, sublime ways, wherein we start at a point that is completely different (maybe in space, maybe in time, maybe in spirituality or maybe in some other distinct manner) than the point we arrive at when the poem ends!” A blackbird silhouette appears near the bottom center. Illustrated vines identical to Image 2 appear on the right edge. A soft purple-pink gradient background. At the top is a large pink quotation-mark symbol. Centered text reads: “I tend to write almost always in the long, quiet hours past midnight; preferably in the comfort of my own room, surrounded by nothing but empty walls and warm lighting.” At the bottom are four illustrated pink daisy-like flowers with long green stems.
December 15, 2025 at 5:43 PM