Indian American writers are on a roll! Amit Majmudar, an Indian American novelist, poet and essayist, became Ohio’s first Poet Laureate in Columbus. Amit Majmudar dons several hats at the same time. He is a creative writer on one hand and a diagnostic nuclear radiologist on the other. Ohio’s Governor John Kasich publicly announced his appointment as the first poet laureate of the state.
Amit Majmudar’s appointment as Ohio’s poet laureate will be effective on January 1 for two years from 2016 till December 31, 2017. In honor of this prestigious title, he wishes to promote poetry by all possible means. He looks forward to taking a multidimensional approach to connect poetry with Ohio’s popular arts community. His plans to heighten the prospects of poetry in Ohio do also include reaching out high school students and engaging them in different ways.
“The profile of Ohio’s first poet laureate exemplifies that both profession and passion can go hand in hand. He will put a new perspective into the future of poetry for today’s young generation who can pursue their passions irrespective of their career choices,” said Ohio’s Governor ebulliently.
Amit Majmudar graduated in science from the University of Akron and earned a ‘Doctor of Medicine’ (MD) degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University. On completion of his full-time medical residency at university hospitals of Cleveland where he was brought up, he started practicing in Columbus. He specializes in nuclear medicine.
Ohio’s first poet laureate, Amit Majmudar developed a tryst with poetry many years before his first novel was published. His poetry found space in several reputed publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Antioch Review, Poetry Northeast, Poetry Daily, and The Best of the Best American Poetry. He is equally acclaimed in writing essays and literary criticism which were published in the New York Times, The Kenyon Review, and National Poetry Review.
Amit Majmudar owes his international fame to his debut novel “Partitions” (published in 2009), which was followed by “The Abundance” in 2011. The first novel “Partitions” is a poignant story of uprooted children and their eventful journey during the Partition of India in 1947, with references to communal violence on both sides of the then new India-Pakistan border. The tale of broken hearts and scattered families won millions of minds, which got him entry into the league of novelists with a powerful voice.
The second novel “The Abundance” is a story of immigration and its pathetic outcomes including cultural conflict. It is no less poignant than the story of “Partitions.” Amit Majmudar’s next piece of creative writing is a collection of poems, “Dothead,” which will see the daylight in March 2016.
Recently, Indian American comedian Mindy Kaling’s “Why Not Me” has been on Amazon’s list of top 100 Books in 2015. Mindy Kaling’s second book, “Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me,” (published in 2001) was a New York Times bestseller. – IndianEagle
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