A year and 54 poetic gems later Manu Remakant’s vlog on little-known world poetry, ‘A Cup of Kavita’, has garnered many admirers from far and near. The first edition of the blog concluded in November and the second edition will be launched today.
Manu says the process has been an enriching experience. “It is heartening to hear that a poem has touched a reader’s heart. That is exactly what I set out to do with this vlog,” he says.
‘A Cup of Kavitha’ was launched by Manu to introduce lesser known poets and their works to his readers. Every week, he would post one video in ‘A Cup of Kavitha’, a Facebook page where he would recite the poem (or a translation, if the poem was in a language other than English) and discuss the intricacies of the same in Malayalam.
In the second edition, actor and scenarist Murali Gopy, Manu’s friend, will also accompany him. ‘Murali Gopy Creative Fraternity,’ which will be launched this December, will begin its activities with the second edition of ‘A Cup of Kavitha’.
The vlog has some high-profile admirers. Former Kozhikode collector Prashant Nair and Shashi Tharoor, MP, are among the followers of Manu’s weekly vlogs. “Murali is one of the regular viewers. Every time a new video comes out, he watches it and tells me its pluses and minuses,” says Manu.
Murali Gopy
Murali, an actor and poetry lover himself, says: “What Manu is doing is extremely relevant. Poetry is the mother of arts. No other art explores an issue as deep as poetry does, yet it remains unpopular among the masses mainly due to the lack of good teachers. So an introductory series in world poetry has great importance.”
A creative fraternity, an initiative of some of Murali’s well-wishers, will be a venture to promote independent art.
Although the focus is on popularising parallel cinema and the people who work for those, the fraternity will also be concentrating on promoting artistes from other fields as well, says Ratheesh Rohini, a coordinator of the fraternity.
“The idea is to reach out to as many people as possible with the help of Murali’s name and we are starting with Manu’s vlog. This week onwards, the ‘A Cup of Kavitha’ vlogs will be produced and posted through the fraternity’s Facebook page,” he adds.
Murali will not be involved in managing the fraternity, but he believes in giving space and promoting independent art. “It is the need of the hour, considering the narrow minded political climate in the country. That is why I am supporting this initiative.”
