Shubh Jain (Shubh Patodi) – Winner of the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award
Wilted Whispers – A Poetic Wake-Up Call for Men’s Mental Health
In a culture where silence is often mistaken for strength, Wilted Whispers dares to speak softly and truthfully. Written by Shubh Jain — the pen name of Bangalore-based consultant and poet Shubh Patodi — this debut collection is not a cry for attention, but a tender call inward. A gentle but firm nudge to reconsider what it really means to be a man in today’s world.
Awarded the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award, Wilted Whispers is a poetic exploration of the quiet emotional struggles men carry but rarely voice. It offers space for vulnerability, healing, and a redefinition of masculinity through grief, introspection, and quiet strength.
“I didn’t set out to write Wilted Whispers,” Shubh shares. “It wasn’t planned. It poured out of a space I didn’t even know was waiting to speak.”
The book was sparked by a single moment—a friend sitting across from him, saying he was “fine” even as his eyes told a different story. That silence stayed. It grew. And over time, Shubh began to notice it in fathers who didn’t cry at funerals, brothers who never asked for help, men who apologized for simply feeling too much. That growing silence became the soil from which Wilted Whispers bloomed.
The collection is divided into three parts:
- A Bouquet of Rueful Reflections – on grief, loss, and loneliness.
- What Makes a Good Man – a redefinition of strength, tenderness, and authenticity.
- Whispers of Winter – a gentle reflection on nostalgia, aging, and letting go.
Each poem is an invitation. Not a solution, but a space. A resting place for men who were never taught how to fall apart. A mirror for anyone who has ever looked at a man they love and wondered what he was holding back.
Shubh isn’t just writing poems. He’s starting a movement. Wilted Whispers is being adapted into a short film focused on men’s mental health in India, with characters that include fathers, husbands, and sons battling inner storms. His aim is simple but urgent: spark the conversations that don’t yet exist in Indian homes, offices, and friendships.
Father’s Day often comes with cards and gifts, but Shubh asks something different: “What if we gave our fathers, brothers, and partners emotional space instead of just another tie? What if we asked, ‘Are you okay?’ and meant it?”
Wilted Whispers is that question. And also, an answer.
It doesn’t scream. It stays.
It isn’t demanding. It invites.
It doesn’t define manhood. It softens its edges.
Because in a world that keeps asking men to be quiet, this book whispers: You are allowed to feel.
📖 Book Title: Wilted Whispers
🏆 Award: 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award
📍 From: Bangalore, India
📷 Instagram: @shubhpatodi14
