Dr Brijesh Raj interviews haibun masters Paresh Tiwari and Raamesh Gowri Raghavanon the writing of haibun.

Part 3 and Conclusion

Q7 – Reading is such an integral part of any young haijin’s growth. With a substantial body of work easily available online how do you retain your individuality and protect yourself from being overly influenced?

Paresh: The very fact that such a substantial body of work is accessible – either online or in books that are available at the click of a button, makes it almost impossible to be overly influenced by a single voice. Unless, of course, one is actively attempting to plagiarize. Don’t read something and sit down to write a piece as stunning as it. Absorb it, find out why it works, what it does to you as a reader, how the words tug at your heart. If an unusual pairing of images has…