Ati uttam! Sanskrit poets? meet plays full house

YOU MAY not understand the literal meaning of the ?Gayatri Mantra?, but it has a vibration that stirs your soul. The melody and the rhythm of the Sanskrit shlokas and poems have the rhythm to leave you absolutely enthralled.

YOU MAY not understand the literal meaning of the ‘Gayatri Mantra’, but it has a vibration that stirs your soul. The melody and the rhythm of the Sanskrit shlokas and poems have the rhythm to leave you absolutely enthralled.

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This musical potency of the language came to the fore at the Sanskrit Kavi Sammelan organised by UP Sanskrit Sansthan at Jai Shankar Auditorium on Friday. The programme was a runaway success. As the poets recited in Sanskrit, the audience listened spell-bound—so what if not all in the jam-packed auditorium understood the import of the verses, the vibrations did the work. This Kavi Sammelan is an annual feature, but this year, there was a large crowd.

The auditorium was full as soon as the programme began. People had come from as far off as Delhi, Kanpur and Benares for the event. Prof Navlata Verma, who teaches in Kanpur, said, “It’s a very interesting programme, almost like a festival. I came here early morning and have participated in all the events of the day.”

Another woman, an ardent listener at the sammelan, Dr Krishna Sharma, said, “Poetry in Sanskrit has turned into a relic. We don’t get to hear it too often so whenever I get a chance to attend a Sanskrit kavi sammelan, I make sure I don’t miss it. It gives me peace, at the same time keeps me in touch with modern Sanskrit poetry.” The sammelan was attended by a number of people who didn’t understand the language but were present just to enjoy the rhythm and “sweetness” of the language.

One such patron at the event was Vikas. He said, “I loved the language when I was in school but could not take it up in senior classes. When I learnt about the kavi sammelan, I decided to attend it. Even though I am not able to understand everything, there are parts that I can comprehend and I am enjoying it. Sanskrit is a beautiful language and worth our attention.”

The Sammelan saw some renowned Sanskrit poets reciting their work. Prof Rajendra Mishra, who just returned from the 13th World Sanskrit Conference in Scotland, said, “Sanskrit is the mother of all Indian languages and I believe it is not difficult to understand it either. Both, people who understand the language as well as people who don’t understand the language enjoy Sanskrit poetry very much.”

A total of 18 kavis recited at the programme that went on for a couple of hours.