Sanskrit rhetoricians of the past have defined creativity in a unique manner. Creativity is the very cause of poetry says Jagannatha Pandita, the 17th Century Sanskrit poet and writer who was patronized by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor.

Creativity is called as 'Pratibha' in Sanskrit. It is the occurrence of apt words and meanings while writing a language. This is the definition of Creativity as given by Jagannatha Pandita.

For Creativity to occur there has to be one of these two reasons. They are:

1. Mahapurushadevataprasada or the favor of holy men and Gods

2. Vyutpatti or constant reading and practice

Not everyone is characterized by the first one. The first reason would mean that the person is a prodigy. On the other hand the second reason would mean that more and more can attempt writing poetry at some stage of their lives.

Constant reading of books and updating knowledge and practicing poetry writing thoroughly can also pave the way for attaining authorship. Thus it can be understood that Creativity can be nourished within a person provided the person is inclined towards writing.

A person who could not write at the age of 10 could still start writing at the age of 40 or 50 provided he kept on reading books and practicing writing poetry through the years. It is indeed true that a prodigy need not have read books nor have practiced writing poetry!