Born in Mauritius in 1977, Vatsala Radhakeesoon is the author of various poetry books and an experimental abstract artist.

She started writing poems in English at the age of 14 and kept on expanding her poetic skills in other languages such as French, Mauritian Kreol and Hindi.
Vatsala Radhakeesoon is one of the representatives of Immagine and Poesia, an Italy based literary movement uniting artists and poets’ works. She has been selected as one of the poets for Guido Gozzano Poetry contest from 2016 to 2019. Her haiku book Tropical Temporariness has also been nominated for University of North Texas (UNT) Rilke prize 2020 .At the age of 41 in 2019 Vatsala started abstract painting and considers this as a miraculous turning point in her life.

 Vatsala Radhakeesoon currently lives at Rose-Hill, Mauritius and her day job is that of a    literary translator. She is also one of the interview editors of the bi-annual online journal,
Asian Signature.

Some of her books are available on her Amazon author page on the following link:

amazon.com/author/vatsalaradhakeesoon1710

Yesterday and Today

Where have those days gone
when dreamily I could look up at the day sky
and from all angles let the sunlight
fall on my face?
Where have those days gone
when I could freely breathe the greenness
of the island’s air?
Where have those days gone
when in blue jeans all carefree
I could walk on the town’s streets
and greet dear friends in spontaneous hugs –
an act rather culturally labelled humane?


Now I gasp for air
as obstructed is my nose
by some strange getting- used –to- wear
The Pandemic Fashion, they call it
So I walk hastily on the streets
No time to linger with endless blue
No shaking of hands, no embrace
as social alienation tunes its whip
I hide my smile, my grin my laughter, my misery
behind a non-allergic mask – my only shield
against  hovering death

My poetic mind wanders down some distant hill
then wonders
“ Can they read my eyes behind dark sunglasses?”

Bird of History

On the beach lazed a Dodo
sipping coconut water in the tropical style
I thought it was a soft toy,
some game,
some pranks of children on summer holidays

But the Dodo stared at me
“Come here!” He shouted
“Hello! Why me?”  I asked,
“I have no business with you
“Ha, Ha, Ha”, his laughter echoed
“You were extinct years ago” I emphasized
“Extinct!” He exclaimed,
“Extinction is lame perception”
“Are you alive?” I asked
“I’m back to my claimed land,” he replied
“Create, create” he ordered

Swirled, swirled some sky blue light
around me
My eyes opened wide
On my canvas vividly danced colours
from   blending brushes.