The Bengaluru Poetry Festival slated to begin in a week is just the lyrical twist you’re looking to add to your weekend. The sixth edition of the festival is going to be back after two years. Bringing together poets and patrons all under one roof, the festival will see several names from the city’s literary circuit, celebrities and performers in attendance. Actors like Deepti Naval and prominent writers and poets like Hussain Haidry and Meena Kandasamy among many others are set to grace the event with their presence.
The festival was forced to take the virtual route in 2020 due to the pandemic. Subodh Sankar, organiser and co-founder of bookstore Atta Galatta, is elated that the festival will be back in offline format. He shares, “It’s going to be a great culmination of art and self-expression. This year, we have around 70 invitees coming to perform and hold workshops for the audience. All the artistes bring something different and unique to the table, and that’s what Bengaluru Poetry Festival is all about.”
In addition to performances and workshops, there will also be a panel discussion with publishers, on decoding the art of poetry and its several interpretations. With an emphasis on multilingual poetry, the festival this year will attempt to bridge the gap between readers and cultures.
Speaking about what’s in store for the attendees, festival director, writer-editor, Shinie Antony says, “Every edition is different from each other by design, permutations, the sheer force of new compositions and new incoming voices. This year we have our multilingual features in place as well as an electric charge of hard truths and cultural changes at once.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about what’s in store for the attendees, festival director, writer-editor, Shinie Antony says, “Every edition is different from each other by design, permutations, the sheer force of new compositions and new incoming voices. This year we have our multilingual features in place as well as an electric charge of hard truths and cultural changes at once.”
{{/usCountry}}She further adds, “Like every year, we hope that this year too the festival will bring poetry lovers together, celebrate verse in multiple forms, and send a chill down the spine of listeners to be in such close contact with words. Poetry can be flammable too.”
Poet Akhil Katyal, who will be conducting a workshop on ghazal writing in English, says, “I am very excited to be back in the space amid poets. This is my first time doing a workshop for them but I’ve already got so many people enquiring about it and I’m looking forward to interacting with all kinds of poets this year. The Bengaluru poetry scene is extremely encouraging. At the festival, you can expect to see a side to all the poets which is goofy and silly!”
With the number of poetry enthusiasts slowly growing in the city, poet Aswin Vijayan, who will take the stage for the first time at the festival, talks to us about the evolving poetry scene in Bengaluru. He says, “There are two reasons why the poetry scene flourishes here. One is the bookstore culture that the city has. The other thing is that the city has a vibrant culture of young writers and poets that head the force for keeping the love for poetry alive.”
Catch it live
What: Bengaluru Poetry Festival
Where: The Leela Palace, 23, HAL Old Airport Rd, HAL 2nd Stage, Kodihalli
When: August 27 and 28
Timing: 10am to 8pm