Many writers begin their journey into the literary world with poetry. The flow of thoughts — rhythmic, concise and laced with layers — might differentiate verse from prose. But wordsmiths might contest this definition, and the Poetry Club of Mumbai has organised a two-day event to encourage a discourse on the subject.
Started three years ago by Trupthi Shetty and Ankita Shah, corporate professionals with a passion for poetry, the club has a membership of over 700 across the city and meets every month.
In celebration of their third anniversary, the club’s annual Rainbird Poetry Festival will see a panel discussion with contemporary poets Ranjit Hoskote, Sampurna Chattarji, Gieve Patel and Udayan Thakker.
There will also be readings and discussions of classical and contemporary poetry in multiple languages on selected themes, and an evening of poetry and instrumental music featuring screenwriter and lyricist Varun Grover.
“We want to step away from the usual discussions of metre, rhyme, and rhythm,” says Shetty, “and touch upon the evolution of poetry — questions such as where does prose end and poetry begin? — and have informed discussions rather than loosely-based critiques.” The panel will also discuss poetry in regional languages, the skills required for translation, and maintaining the essence of a poem.
In the past, the Poetry Club has hosted readings and conversations with Hoskote, and art curator and critic, Arundhathi Subramaniam. “I’m always excited to work with new platforms involved with poetry,” says Hoskote. “We’re going to open the floor to deep questions that haunt poets at any stage of their career, and how to tackle with senses that are not necessarily verbal.”
With the advent of social media and digital performance platforms like YouTube, poetry has transitioned from the written word to a more theatrical art form. There’s importance given not only to the words itself, but also the delivery: pauses, voice modulation, and body language. “We’re always interested in how the audience relates to the poet, and vice versa,” Shetty says.
“Are you performing for yourself, or for the audience? Is there a significant difference between a page poet and a performance poet? Since the city has a variety of options for open mic nights, but not many spaces for free-flowing discussion, the festival aims to change that.”
In addition to sharing experiences, views, or even fantasies, poetry can be used to usher in change and develop important conversations that often take a backseat.
Last year, the club collaborated with No Country For Women, a gender education initiative for the festival ‘Undoing Gender.’ Using music, poetry, and sketches, the festival facilitated a dialogue on gender-based inequality and queer rights, with performance on those themes.
Shetty says, “It’s easy to focus on Mumbai-based themes even though that isn’t the whole reality of things, and so we use these spaces and voices of experts as leverage.”
There’s a visible difference in the progression of one’s creative work, depending on the prevalent thought processes at the time.
Hoskote says that a significant transition in his work is the introduction of a variety of voices instead of experimenting with a singular one. “Participating in these festivals is always enlightening, since over the years there’s been a greater attentiveness to formal possibilities with poetry and a strong robust engagement with metrical form and the desire to step-away from the usual.”
The festival comes at a time when the city is engulfed in rain clouds and a whiff of petrichor. So trying your hand at a couplet, haiku, sonnet, or free verse that meanders from the usual, might not be all that hard.
The Rainbird Poetry Festival: today, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., TARQ, Apollo Bandar; tomorrow, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., antiSOCIAL, Khar West. More details: facebook.com /TPCMumbai.
The author is a freelance writer
The skills required
for translation, and maintaining the essence of a poem will be discussed
