<p>"Humans aren’t wired for the mad race of big-city life; our brains crave pauses from mindless productivity that drains the soul,” says Sourabha Rao, the founder of Padayaatre.</p>.<p>A Kannada literary community, Padayaatre was set up in 2014 when Sourabha sought a circle dedicated to immersing itself in the works of great Kannada poets and writers. She had moved to Bengaluru in mid-2012. Sourabha and her friends had an impromptu Kannada poetry reading session at a mantapa in BTM Layout park one Sunday. </p><p>There was no structure or title for the gathering. For the last 12 years, Padayaatre has continued to meet one Sunday every month. The meets are either online or offline, and members have the option of joining the offline meets through Zoom or Google Meet. </p>.<p>Diversity is the pulse of the group. Members include engineers, researchers, wildlife conservationists and professors. Some Kannada poets and writers, such as Jayant Kaikini, Sethuram, and S Diwakar, have been guests at Padayaatre. </p><p>Many non-Kannadigas have also attended the sessions and embraced the rejuvenating poetry and community. Participation has been through word-of-mouth and social media. Since Sourabha resigned from all social media in 2017, the core team has stayed together for 12 years as she continues to send personal messages to each member. </p><p>The community politely moved away from reading one’s own poetry to spending two hours completely immersed in reading Kannada poets, from Pampa to contemporary poets, including P Lankesh, Lakshmisha Tolpadi and Jayant Kaikini, as well as less-known ones. With diverse members, conflicts arise naturally, but Padayaatre handles them with “dignity in disagreement” — healthy, informed exchanges that stay factual, tied to the text, and never personal or slugfest-like, says Sourabha. These talks often end with shared resources, fostering deeper learning.</p>.<p>When asked about Bengaluru’s representation in Kannada poetry, she says she wishes there were more writings published about the city, as the lack of literature around it is somewhat disappointing compared to the abundance of literature centred on other cities.</p>.<p>Those interested can get in touch with the group at padayaatre@gmail.com</p>.<p>(Find Your Vibe is an occasional column that highlights positive community efforts and passion pursuits in Bengaluru. Send your suggestions to metrolife@deccanherald.co.in)</p>
<p>"Humans aren’t wired for the mad race of big-city life; our brains crave pauses from mindless productivity that drains the soul,” says Sourabha Rao, the founder of Padayaatre.</p>.<p>A Kannada literary community, Padayaatre was set up in 2014 when Sourabha sought a circle dedicated to immersing itself in the works of great Kannada poets and writers. She had moved to Bengaluru in mid-2012. Sourabha and her friends had an impromptu Kannada poetry reading session at a mantapa in BTM Layout park one Sunday. </p><p>There was no structure or title for the gathering. For the last 12 years, Padayaatre has continued to meet one Sunday every month. The meets are either online or offline, and members have the option of joining the offline meets through Zoom or Google Meet. </p>.<p>Diversity is the pulse of the group. Members include engineers, researchers, wildlife conservationists and professors. Some Kannada poets and writers, such as Jayant Kaikini, Sethuram, and S Diwakar, have been guests at Padayaatre. </p><p>Many non-Kannadigas have also attended the sessions and embraced the rejuvenating poetry and community. Participation has been through word-of-mouth and social media. Since Sourabha resigned from all social media in 2017, the core team has stayed together for 12 years as she continues to send personal messages to each member. </p><p>The community politely moved away from reading one’s own poetry to spending two hours completely immersed in reading Kannada poets, from Pampa to contemporary poets, including P Lankesh, Lakshmisha Tolpadi and Jayant Kaikini, as well as less-known ones. With diverse members, conflicts arise naturally, but Padayaatre handles them with “dignity in disagreement” — healthy, informed exchanges that stay factual, tied to the text, and never personal or slugfest-like, says Sourabha. These talks often end with shared resources, fostering deeper learning.</p>.<p>When asked about Bengaluru’s representation in Kannada poetry, she says she wishes there were more writings published about the city, as the lack of literature around it is somewhat disappointing compared to the abundance of literature centred on other cities.</p>.<p>Those interested can get in touch with the group at padayaatre@gmail.com</p>.<p>(Find Your Vibe is an occasional column that highlights positive community efforts and passion pursuits in Bengaluru. Send your suggestions to metrolife@deccanherald.co.in)</p>