Poetry meetups to resume in full swing

Many verse lovers are excited to meet up and discuss their works ahead of the World Poetry Day

Many on-ground meetups are back in business as the pandemic seems to have shown signs of easing. Ahead of ‘World Poetry Day’ on March 21, poetry groups share about activities planned ahead.

Open to all languages

Bangalore Poetry Circle started as a WhatsApp group with poets from across the country in 2017. Poets from the city then showed interest in meeting and reading poetry. “We began meeting every second or third Saturday of the month at a cafe,” says Saranya Francis, curator of the circle.

“We wanted to keep the group open to all. In 2019, we started discussing and reading poetry in all languages. People from across the country participated in the sessions,” she recollects.

The pandemic forced the team to explore the online medium. “We continued to meet every month,” she says. Saranya misses “the inclusivity of offline meetups”. “A lot of eye contact and body language also goes into offline readings and discussions. We plan to soon shift to offline meets,” she says.

Poets of Bangalore, which started in 2019, used to hold meetups once a month. “During the pandemic, we switched to virtual meetings. We are now back to meeting physically, twice a month. Our meetups, which are open to all languages, happen from one to three hours,” says Ravi, the founder. “We always work with themes. For example, in our last meeting, we only invited women poets,” he says.

Hindi and Urdu poetry

Anjuman Literary Club, formed in 2011, is a group where like-minded Hindi and Urdu poetry lovers met at each other’s homes. Sourav Roy, a core member of the club, says, “As the group grew, we moved to bookstores and cafes, where we met almost every month.”

The idea of the group was to be open and non-judgemental. “Our meetings last for 1-2 hours. At the end of a meeting, we decide topics and themes for the next one. This drives poets to write on newer topics and fresh ideas,” he says.

The club’s meetings are currently online. “Our members include homemakers, activists, artistes, scientists, startup founders, theatricians, engineers, teachers and writers,” says Sourav.

Restarting soon

Lahe Lahe, Indiranagar, used to host ‘Write Out Loud’. It is set to restart in April. Mansee Shah Thard, the co-founder, says, “Unlike open mic events, this is an intimate circle of poetry lovers.” The poetry reading sessions are theme-based.

‘Mehfil’, a poetry evening held every third Sunday of the month, features three poets, followed by an open mic by 10 poets from the audience. This programme will also restart in April.

Urban Solace, Ulsoor, will restart its poetry events with ‘Pay With a Poem’, on March 20, 9 am to 11 pm.

Perry Menzies, the founder, says, “This is a global campaign that is gaining momentum, where a poet or non-poet can walk into a cafe, write a poem and get a cup of coffee.”

‘Tuesdays With a Bard’, a poetry event which used to happen every week at the cafe, will restart in April. “Every week a poet is featured. Poets are given an hour to talk about their works, after which an open mic follows,” he adds. It will restart with poems written during the pandemic.

“People have written voluminously during these two years, expressing emotions such as sadness, regret, love and loss,” he elaborates.