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Verse power
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Seven poets recreated their hopes, concerns and fear in seven languages on an evening set aside to celebrate poetry
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Inspired moments A view of the poetry session at the Delhi International Arts Festival
“Poets make a world before you and then bring it down.” With such words seasoned poet Ashok Vajpayi set the tone for the evening. Seven poets played with seven languages to conjure up a world remotely real yet dream-like. Love, loss, loneliness, memories, hopes, dreams, questions and doubts flitted in the verses of these poets on an evening dedicated to poetry at the Delhi International Arts Festival recently.
“Poetry”, bringing together poets from different parts of India, had Kedar Nath Singh, K. Satchidanandan, Jyotsna Kalita, Shahryar, J.P. Das, Sudeep Sen and Satinder Singh “Noor” bringing alive their verses in Hindi, Malayalam, Assamese, Urdu, Oriya, English and Punjabi respectively.
The “saptavarna” evening was a display of the poet’s mastery over language, showcased their distinct styles, and concerns. Veterans shared space with youngsters to take on the poetic journey.
Seasoned poet Shahryar gleaned out the subtle magic of Urdu with his “shayari” that sounded so simple yet profound.
“Waqt teri yeh ada mein aaj tak samjha nahi, meri duniya kyon badal di, mujhko kyon badla nahi,” he lamented to the resounding “wah,” “wahs” from the audience. His couplets and short verses gave a glimpse of his world view, a man who was not unfamiliar with the tricky world, but hardly had any complaints.
Contemporary concerns
Young poets Jyotsna and Sudeep’s poetry was more about their contemporary world and its concerns. Memories, mostly of their grandparents and life in the constricted city spaces, were an enduring thought in their poems.
Sudeep recounted that he felt cheated when he was informed about his grandfather’s demise three weeks after it had happened. A poem of his was a way of re-living the memory of his grandfather. It dwells on his moments with his grandfather as he fought through his second heart attack.
Satinder’s poems touched upon the themes of love, his home State Punjab and also the events in Godhra and Nandigram. Award-winning poets Kedar Nath, Satchidanandan and Das also recreated in words the world close to their hearts.
P. ANIMA
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