Amidst the loud crowds of college fests and social gatherings, there sits a poet with her typewriter. She leans in, not just to type, but to listen to what people have to say, and then gives them a poem, putting into words their feelings and emotions.
This is the work of Priya Varugheese, also known as Lady Lazarus, a typewriter poet who focuses her skills and art on encouraging expression and mental health within society.
Priya shared the origins of her work, which started nearly seven years ago.
“This is not something completely new. And I was introduced to this by my friend Sree Ram, who is the founder of Buskingkochi. He approached me and asked whether I was interested in such a session, as I already had a typewriter. So, from there, the journey started.”
She was initially sceptical about people talking openly to a stranger and having a poem written simultaneously, wondering if the audience in our cultural context would be open to the experience.
“One of my first events was with my friends who conducted an open mic session, and it was actually a safe environment to try something radical like this. That first experience is what actually made me believe that I can do the typewriting poem in our city,” she says.
When she was about to leave, a teenage girl talked to her, saying it was her first time doing this. The experiences the girl shared made Priya believe that this was more than a gimmick, but a necessity for mental health for the youth.
Priya has a strong academic background to complement her art. She completed her undergraduate degree in literature at BMC, followed by a postgraduate degree in Nottingham, UK, and a post-graduate diploma in clinical social work and counselling practice from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences.
Combining her studies and background, she feels being a “typewriter-friendly poet” makes more sense to her.
She explains her reasoning: “There are people who focus on mental health, its effects, etc,. There are even more therapists booming in our cities. But the thing is that not everyone has a good experience with a visit to a psychologist, especially with some of them being unprofessional at times — not everyone, but it exists.”
Instead, Priya aims to create a ‘non-judgmental talking space’ where people can practice being vulnerable, which she views as “one of the first steps in overcoming.” Priya aims to be that, a safe space for people she shares her poems with.
“What I create is art, but the story or the core will be the people who speak to me,” she shares.
She connects her work to her personal journey. “I was someone who doubted myself, and also had a lot of insecurities. Personally, I see every hard path I went through as a lesson for me, and this is what I wish to share with everyone who reaches out to me.”
While her roots are in street performance, the intimacy of her work has found a place in private celebrations. She describes being hired for a wedding with a classic French theme, where her typewriter became a central highlight.
Unlike public events where people come and go, she noted that weddings offer a different dynamic. There, it is more than a gimmick, but it turns into a bridge for connection.
Priya is more than a poet and mental health counsellor; she is also a creative producer and has a farm in Kuttanad that she looks after. However, ultimately, it is all about safe spaces and creating connections.