Bengaluru: “Last year, we chose a venue that could hold 150 people. I remember thinking that festival volunteers might need to fill the empty seats," said Lakshmi Shankar, co-founder, Atta Galatta, about the Bengaluru Poetry Festival 2016. “Over 4,000 people showed up over the two days,” beamed her husband, Subodh Shankar, with festival director, Shinie Antony adding, "There was no room to stand, even.” Poetry as a medium of expression is back in vogue, with an audience that continues to grow; Bengaluru’s first attempt at a festival for poetry found immediate, unprecedented success.
The Bengaluru Poetry Festival is back in 2017, bigger and better than ever. Organised by a core team of poets and poetry lovers, the festival was a first-of-its-kind in Bengaluru, focussing solely on poetry as a medium of expression. Poetry performances, theatre in verse, workshops on the theory of writing poetry and tips on publishing are all part of the schedule, which comprises a star-studded line-up of poets from across the country.
Jerry Pinto, whose first book of poems, Asylum, was released in2004, internationally renowned poet Margaret Mascerenhas, Tamil poet Salma, Jayant Mohapatra (the first recipient of the Sahitya Akademi award for English poetry) and Kashmiri poet Ayaz Rasool Nazki are all part of the festival this year.
Closer home, theatre veteran Padmavathi Rao will release her book, Kuch Pyaar, Kuch Thadap, a collection of poems in Hindi and English. Playwright Girish Karnad will launch the book at the festival. Chandrasekhar Kambara will be part of the event too (the schedule and topics is still being finalised) and poet Prathibha Nandakumar will, with her troupe of actors, perform Coffeehouse, a play in verse.
Diplomat Pawan Varma will be in conversation with Gulzaar. "Gulzaar is starting off both days," said Antony, as she announced the line-up of participating poets. "The first session focusses on his book, Suspected Poems and the second on Varma's latest book, Yudhishtir and Draupadi. They have translated each other's work as well." Lyricist Niranjan Iyengar and filmmaker Barnali Ray Shukla have a spoken word performance lined up, titled Casualties of Love and Sex. "We also have edgy voices like Rohan Chhetri, whose book, Slow Startle, really did prove quite startling," Antony exclaimed.
There's plenty for kids too, including a themed Treasure Hunt and a host of workshops. "Ankit Chaddha, the Dastangoi artist, will conduct a workshop for kids, which promises to be very unique," said Lakshmi Shankar. Music performances will round up both days, with an evening of mystic poetry by Smita Bellur and a Manganiyar performance by Mame Khan wrapping up the event.
The Bengaluru Poetry Festival will be held on August 5 and 6 at The Leela Palace. Entry is free.
