What if a poem could remind you of who you once were, make you laugh or cry over a memory, or quietly convince you to believe in yourself again? For bestselling author and bilingual poet Vidhi Mardia, that is the true purpose of poetry. Her second book, ‘The Voice Within’, is a collection of 75 poems in English and Hindi that explores beauty, love, loss, hope, healing, manifestation, and many more through simple language and heartfelt emotions. “It does not ask to be read; it asks to be felt,” she says, describing her book that hopes to leave readers with emotions to carry throughout.
While Vidhi’s debut book ‘Successful Failure-Not Just an Oxymoron’ focused on sharing lessons and ideas, this recently launched book is rooted in deep expressions. Vidhi says that her inspiration for the book came from the questions she asked herself after her debut book: “Can I be vulnerable enough? Can I be strong enough to share my truest and rawest version of myself with people?”
Having written poetry since the age of 13, Vidhi has included a few of her earliest poems in the book. One of the defining aspects of ‘The Voice Within’ is its bilingual format, featuring poems in both English and Hindi. “I feel like nowadays people have forgotten the true essence of Hindi poetry. There are some poems that do justice only in Hindi, and some can do justice only in English,” she explains on the choice of settling for a bilingual format. She adds that writing confidently in both languages is something she is proud of, while also claiming that she is “only the fifth author in India to self-write a bilingual poetry book.” The book also stands apart visually with an illustration paired with each poem that reflects its essence.
Among the 75 poems, a few remain especially close to her heart. One of them is ‘The Girl I Used to Be’, an English poem that revisits her teenage years. “I was not a very confident person in my teenage years, and to see my kind of dedication to my older self, how I was at that time and how I am right now... that was a very emotional poem,” she recalls.
For Vidhi, poetry is meaningful only when it evokes an emotion. She says, “Through my poems, I wish to create an impact in people’s lives. I wish to make them feel better about themselves and make them feel more empowered and stronger.”
Despite moving from motivational non-fiction to poetry, she says changing genres was never the difficult part. Instead, the challenge lay in creating a collection that felt both personal and universally relatable. “Writing the poetry itself wasn’t the challenge. The real challenge was choosing topics that everyone could resonate with and adding fun elements. For instance, there’s a poem about French fries, but there’s also one about the universe. Finding that balance was what I found most challenging,” she explains.
Alongside the launch of ‘The Voice Within’, Vidhi is also introducing herself as a manifestation coach, adding another dimension to her work. Summing up her latest work, she says, “‘The Voice Within’ is not just a book; it is an experience that is waiting to find you.”
‘The Voice Within’ is now available for purchase through Amazon and the Notion Press website.