Mumbai, a city pulsating with its own rhymes and rhythms, will witness arguably the biggest poetry festival to take place in the metropolis this weekend. Starting Friday November 25, the three-day festival will be an ode to the two-year-long process of translating poetry across more than 20 languages, and in many ways will be a panegyric of the art form of poetry. The programme — packed with readings, seminars, workshops and performances — could be overwhelming at first glance, so we decided to help you navigate the festival with our nine recommendations.
Poetry over
cutting chai
Date: November 25, 2016
Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Check the exact locations on www.goethe.de/ptp
Conceived by German poet Christian Filips, The Mumbai Tea Party event is an effort to take poetry out of the high walls of academia and spill onto the streets. Taking place across Lower Parel, Mahalakshmi, CST, Dalal Street and Kala Ghoda, poets like Abdul Rasheed, Annie Zaidi, Quaiser Khalid, among several others will read out their multilingual works in an informal setup. Attendees can bring in their own poetry to share, or hear the local chaiwallah dole out impromptu sonnets. You could also hop on to a cab or a bus and go around from one location to another sampling an array of poetry and masala chai.
Found in Translation
Date: November 26, 2016
Time: 10:30 a.m. (Challenges of Translation), 11:30 a.m. (Poets Translating Poets Reading)
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Gallery, Kala Ghoda
The two-year-long process of translation facilitated by the Goethe-Institut in the city along with its sister organisations in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, was a creatively satisfying one, albeit ridden with challenges. Form, structure, culture and meaning are intimately linked, making translation an extremely complex task. Poets of three different languages, Jan Wagner, Shafi Shauq, Yashodhara Ray Chaudhari will discuss their hurdles and successes with translator Arunava Sinha at the Challenges of Translation session. You could sit back for the Poets Translating Poets Reading where each writer will read a poem and a translation that they have worked on, during the course of the project.
During the
times of war
Date: November 26, 2016
Time: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Gallery, Kala Ghoda
Classic works of literature have emerged during times of war and from conflict zones. The Poetry and Conflict session seeks to explore how war and conflict affects poetry. Karachi-based Afzal Ahmed Syed has witnessed civil wars in Beirut and Dhaka, Kedar Misra has written about the Kalinganagar massacre in Orissa, Sajjad Sharif grew up in Dhaka and witnessed the Bangladesh Liberation War, Dawngi Chawngthu has seen Mizoram go through turbulent times and Shafi Shauq lives in the conflict-ridden state of Kashmir. The session will be moderated by author and poet Nabina Das.
The idea of
feminist poetry
Date: November 26, 2016
Time: 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Fort
Women writing poetry in South Asia and Germany is a session that questions the idea of feminist poetry and how it differs from poetry written merely by women. Poets like Aruna Dhere, Attiya Dawood, Jayaprabha, Savita Singh, Sukirtharani and Sylvia Geist will discuss their work and concerns around discourses of feminism.
Poetry through cinematic lens
Date: November 26, 2016
Time: 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Library, Kala Ghoda
Watch the screening of Amar Kanwar’s documentary A Night of Prophecy (2002) shot across the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, and Kashmir. The 77-minute film features a series of poems and songs recorded in eleven languages, portraying their struggle around caste, poverty and disenfranchisement.
When music
meets text
Date: November 27, 2016
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Gallery, Kala Ghoda
Exploring the commonalities of rhythm, tone and music, poets and musicians Ulrike Almut Sandig, Alif, Nicolai Kobus, Mamta Sagar, Vasu Dixit and Mangalesh Dabral will perform and discuss their works in The String Song session moderated by songwriter and lyricist, Swanand Kirkire. The session aims to explore the traditional intimacy between music and literary works in South Asia and Germany, and the contemporary experiments with soundscapes in the regions.
The diplomatic language
Date: November 27, 2016
Time: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Library, Kala Ghoda
Language has often been used as a political tool, often writing their destinies. Padma Shri winning linguist Ganesh Devy, will deliver a lecture on the politics of language. The literary critic will explain how political shifts over the last two centuries have caused linguistic depletion and endangered language diversity. He will also shed light over the future of languages in the country, especially in relation to the arts.
Poetry with jazz
Date: November 27, 2016
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: St Xavier’s College, Fort
German jazz band Melt Trio will perform improvised music to poems by Nicolai Kobus and Rochelle D’silva. Known for inventing sounds that overrides established concepts of jazz improvisation, brothers Peter and Bernhard Meyer on guitar and bass, and drummer Moritz Baumgärtner will also perform their newest record, Stroy (2016) in the famed first quad of St. Xavier’s College.
Sight and
sound of poetry
Date: November 25 to 27, 2016
Time: 10 a.m. onwards
Venue: Max Mueller Bhavan Gallery, Kala Ghoda
Exploring the diversity in languages, the audio-visual installations at Wordscape, aim to add new dimensions to recited poetry. The exhibition is curated by Udit Duseja, who worked on a number of international features, shorts and documentaries spanning different genres. At the exhibition, you can hear how the sounds of poetry change as they are translated from one language to another.
For the entire schedule and more information check www.goethe.de/ptp
