THE UNTAMED JOURNEY TOWARDS SUCCESS - MR. VIHANG ASHOKBHAI NAIK

On 2nd September 1969, a brilliant poet was born in the beautiful city of Surat. Vihang Ashokbhai Naik, also known as Vihang Naik, with his spectacular approach towards words, has won many awards for his contemporary poems in the diverse language of English. His widely published poets made the whole nation proud as his name appeared in various renowned journals. Indian Literature: Sahitya Akademi Bi-Monthly Journal, Kavya Bharati, POESIS: A Journal of Poetry Circle, Mumbai, The Journal of The Poetry Society ( India ), The Journal of Indian Writing In English, The Journal of Literature and Aesthetics, The Brown Critique, The Poetry Chain among other significant journals and e-publications. Vihang completed his education from the famous The Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda. He discovered his love for writing while grasping the knowledge and every bit of English literature, philosophy, and Indian literature in English translations.

In the awakening of thoughts and searching for inspiration, he traveled to various places like Baroda, Ahmedabad, and other cities out of Gujarat. His primary school was Navrachana, but due to his urge for constant traveling to seek enlightenment, he moved to various cities and schools. His journey finally paid off as it was the inspiration behind his best work ”city times and other poems”. This charming poem provided readers a unique insight into his life and its provoking segments. People across the globe appreciated his work and praised his efforts of encouraging the audience to accept the hardships that come along in the journey of life. Naik’s collections of poems include City Times and Other Poems (1993), Making A Poem (2004), and Poetry Manifesto ( New & Selected Poems) (2010). Not only English, but Vihang has a passion for Guajarati language too. His Gujarati collection of poems titled Jeevangeet (Gujarati poems) (2001), is dedicated to the victims of the horrific tragedy of the Gujarat Earthquake on 26th January 2001. That specific piece of work not only won the hearts of Indian readers but the famous authors too.

For reaching out to the readers across the globe, he puts tremendous efforts and translates his Gujarati poems into English. Not only the renowned journals, but Naik’s work has appeared in some noted anthologies as well. The two edited anthologies are Vihang A Naik: A Study of his Mind and Art ( edited by Dr.Sanjay P. Pandey) and The Poetry of Vihang A. Naik: New Literary Dimensions ( edited by Goutam Karmakar ). Due to the mass popularity and a vogue perspective towards the style of writing his poetry has been translated into Japanese, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese. In 1996, Vihang started a new phase in his life by choosing a career as a lecturer in English. During his professional life, he taught English at various colleges in North Gujarat, encouraging many youngsters to seek their passion for reading and writing. In March 2019, he retired from his job as an Associate Professor ( English ). After his retirement, he decided to continue living and working in Baroda, Gujarat, in his own country India.

PWR PWR.