Poetry came in search of me

Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish once said, “Poetry and beauty are always making peace

Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish once said, “Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful, you find coexistence; it breaks walls down.” And as we spoke to tricity literature lovers and poets, they said poetry heals – it soothes the soul.

On Poet’s Day, we speak to locals about what it means to them and their favourite poets (Photo: Shutterstock)

Poet’s Day (August 21) is all about paying tributes to the art of poetry, embracing, enjoying and creating it. Whether one prefers to read poetry or pen it down, the day is all about celebrating this literary form.

Literature student Snehal Srivastav says, “Poetry is all about pouring out your innermost thoughts and unexpressed emotions in a rhythmic way. Some of my favourite poets include Gulzar and Amrita Pritam.”

“A famous saying that I truly believe in is that the world is full of poetry – the air is living with its spirit; the waves dance to the music of its melodies and sparkle in its brightness. Poetry to me is eternal beauty and two of my favourite poets are John Keats and Fukuda Chiyo-ni,” says Dani Jones, a literature instructor.

There are so many good poets, in Hindi, but Subhadra Kumari Chauhan is my favourite. Her poems carry a unique rhythm and have the capability to make the reader remember her words. Also, her works are not difficult to understand and yet are meaningful, says Nidhi Bhatnagar, an avid reader.

“Poetry is therapeutic to me. It helped me face and express my deep-seated emotions. The works of Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Denise Levertov and William Wordsworth have had the most impact on my life,” says Instagram-based poet Sanjeev Sharan.

“My favourite poet is Faiz Ahmad Faiz. If you have an interest in Urdu poetry, one cannot be unfamiliar to his works. His poetry is not just traditional but also has purpose. One must definitely read Deewan-e-Faiz,” said poetry enthusiast Munawar Ali.

“My favourite works are by Russian poet Sergey Aleksandrovich Esenin. Esenin expresses love for his native land. his roots, people, nature beautifully in his poetry. Esenin’s poetry express one’s feelings like no other. He expresses his feelings passionately, aloud and impressively and with great understanding of what he wants to say. Listening to Esenin’s poetry records, one wants to trust him and admire his talent,” says poet Amayra Seth.