India’s very own College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) is here and it is time for slam poets to raise their heads. CUPSI is an annual inter-college poetry slam held in America. Based on the same format, two slam poets from Bengaluru decided to put together an event for India — the National Youth Poetry Slam (NYPS).
Spoken word poetry or slam poetry is a form of performing poetry that is written for the stage rather than the page. It has been gaining popularity in the country among college students. Shantanu Anand and Nandini Varma of Airplane Poetry Movement, a platform for spoken word poets to be discovered, decided it is time for an inter-college poetry slam, which would help aspiring artists showcase their talent nationally.
Having planned the event for over a year, Nandini now believes, “It is the right time for such an event especially with the recent rise of slam poets from India.” Expanding the base of slam poets and introducing slam poetry in colleges was a challenge they faced while organising the event Nandini admits. This was because slam poetry was still quite new and there were only a few groups of students a year ago in various colleges that had taken part in slam poetry, either as the audience, or as performers. However, through various workshops and programmes organised in campuses across India, they managed to spread the reach of spoken word poetry. Shantanu describes the level of competition: “There is genuine talent and skill on display. There have been poems on many different topics, and poets have used clever word play, rhymes, and devices like similes and metaphors. It has been fun to watch so far.”
Currently, 100 colleges have registered and online auditions are also taking place. An eager participant, Sanjana Hiremath from St. Joseph’s College of Commerce says: “There is an intense feeling of vulnerability when performing poetry and that has the power to evoke empathy in the audience’s minds. I aim to do this with no inhibitions. NYPS is a one-of-a-kind platform, I will have the opportunity to meet poets from all around the country and collaborate. There is nothing like it. The very idea of NYPS gives me goose bumps!”
Come July 31, nine mentors will choose teams of three from 25 colleges with the highest cumulative scores. The Grand Slam will take place on September 18 in Bengaluru, where the 25 teams will compete for the opportunity to travel to America (hosted by the organisers) and represent India at the next CUPSI!
Will NYPS take spoken word in India to the next level? Shantanu says, “I think spoken word in India will reach the next level anyway, because there is so much talent and passion here. But NYPS will help speed things up. And our tie-up with CUPSI will put India very firmly on the global spoken word map! How can one not be excited about this?”
For details check https://campusdiaries.com/national-youth-poetry-slam
