A poet and editor, Kala Ramesh writes and teaches haiku, tanka, haibun and renku to children, undergrads and senior citizens. An external faculty member of the Symbiosis International University Pune since 2012, she teaches Japanese short forms of poetry to undergrads — a first in her country.
Passionate about taking haiku to everyday spaces, Kala initiated the ‘HaikuWALL India’ project, which has graffiti artists paint haiku on city walls. Starting in 2006, she has organised five haiku festivals in India so far. Her love for haiku and her many initiatives culminated in the formation of ‘IN Haiku’ in 2013 — bringing Indian haiku poets under one umbrella to promote, enjoy, and sink deeper into the beauty and intricacies of haiku and allied Japanese short forms of poetry.
She has performed and trained across the world and has numerous published works to her credit.