The Prakriti Poetry Festival promises to satiate you with the creative talent on display
From an earlier event organised by Prakriti Foundation
The fact that it is the ninth edition, and people are still coming back for more, has thrilled Ranvir Shah, founder of the Prakriti Poetry Festival, no end. Twenty-six eminent and emerging poets, a mix of both Indian and international wordsmiths, will read excerpts from their works and have discussions with the audience.
“We don’t have a theme as such, because poetry by itself transcends barriers. The poets could be talking about love, life, their experiences, or anything else for that matter,” begins Shah, Founder, Prakriti Foundation.
Baffled a little about Chennai’s so-called conservative tag, Shah says that it is not just Bharatanatyam or dance performances that find enthusiasts, but poetry and theatre as well. “We want more and more people, especially youngsters to get a blast of the creative talent the poets will present,” he says, adding that the present edition will also feature Goethe Institut’s project ‘Poet translating Poets’, about nine of them (where Indian and German poets translate each other’s works).
The group includes Keki N. Daruwalla, Charles Stein (US), Arundathi Subramaniam, Denis Mair (US), Sudeep Sen, Priya Sarukkai Chabria, Bina Sarkar Ellias, Anne-Marie Kenessey (Switzerland), Shuvashree Chowdhry, Kalki Subramaniam, Parvathi Nayar, Renuka Narayan, Ajinkya Sheneva, Anupama Raju, Jeremy Woodruff, Raghavendra Madhu and Prema Revathi.
There is also a poetry slam contest in association with Alliance Francaise Madras, for aspiring young writers (14 to 23 years) to bring out their innate talents in a session where they will compete with each other, besides being critiqued by a panel of judges and the audience as well.
A poetry contest for those 16 years old and above, has also been announced. Reserving the best for last, Ranvir says that the closing act Manganiyars Classroom by Roysten Abel is a must-watch. “Manganiyars, hailing from Rajasthan, are Muslim Sufi singers who specialise in crooning songs that do not have religious peripheries. This one’s going to be an absolute treat as children from these community, who are carrying the legacy forward, will sing and dance in an act that will warm your hearts,” Ranvir signs off.
“I’m very excited to be reading poetry in Chennai, also because it coincides with the Marghazhi season here. Music, and the conception of the city as a complex living entity, inspires me. Some of my writing deals with these two themes. It’s serendipitous, because Chennai embodies these two ideas. The last time I was in Chennai, I fell in love with the city, the people, the language and its culture. I’m really looking forward to reading and interacting with students and lovers of art!” says Ajinkya Sheneva, who in his own words, lives, works and learns in Mumbai.
(Prakriti Poetry Festival is scheduled from December 2 to 11)
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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