Literary fests are the ‘in’ thing today. It makes front page headlines and are thronged by the glitterati and the literati of the art circles. It’s no wonder then that even in Hyderabad, a small section of poetry lovers are enthusiastically promoting poetry clubs that are steadily seeing a growing number of loyalists. Hyderabad,especially the Old City are, has always been a hotspot for the mushaira culture. A few English sessions on poetry featuring established poets  reciting their verses, was the stuff of legends back in the day. The new- age poetry clubs in the city however, cater to not just those who are established, but to closet poets as well, who’re waiting to be discovered by the world, and who don’t restrict themselves to style, form or language!

At Lamakaan, a cultural space in the city, a mixed bunch of people — youngsters and adults, working professionals and homemakers — all with a common love for poetry, gather for ‘Jashn – A Celebration of Women  Poets.’ The event is a reading by poets from varied backgrounds, who are celebrated in the local, national and in a few cases, on an international level too. With their views firmly rooted in feminism, they start reciting poems in English, Urdu and Telugu. At the same venue, a kavi sangamam, an interactive poetry forum , by Telugu poet Kavi Yakoob also makes its presence felt. Not too far away, at a bookstore, Linda Ashok, a young publisher, organises her session of the poetry club called the Red Leaf Poetry Club which attracts young and old poets. Come summer and a workshop on Telugu poetry for kids will be hosted by Sowmya Mittala, a Telugu writer. So, it’s safe to say that the next couple of months in the city are going to be poetic.

Filling the verse void 
The fact that there is a dearth of poetry clubs in a city known for its rich cultural past is what prompted enthusiasts to start poetry clubs. Young professional Masooma Ali’s idea of a session on women’s poetry was initially a part of the Women’s March programme. She wanted to bring together women from varied backgrounds together on a platform for poets reciting in English, Urdu and Telugu. The event turned out to be a success and she now plans to make it a monthly affair. “There was a complete void of a multilingual platform for poetry. There are mushairas, but forums bringing poets from varied backgrounds together was missing. We wanted to provide that interesting mix to people,” she says.

For Linda Ashok, a young publisher from Kolkata, who moved to the city a couple of years ago, it was a culture shock to find no poetry clubs in Hyderabad. “Kolkata has a lot of poetry clubs, so when I first came here, I was disappointed that there were none here and that’s when I decided I’ll start one myself,” says Ashok, who along with two of her friends  — Subhorup Dasgupta and Nivedita Narsapuram — started Red Leaf Poetry, which has seen a steady increase in the number of participants — the youngest poet being only 12 year old — ever since its inception  in January.

Seeing an acute lack of platform for budding poets from different professional backgrounds, Kavi Yakoob, a telugu poet and associate professor of Telugu at Anwar ul Uloom degree College, inititated a kavi sangamam. “There is a lot of talent amongst young engineers and doctors, who never get the exposure and encouragement to showcase their poetic skills. So, I decided to create a platform for young, enthusiastic poets to meet like-minded people and share a few verses.”

Style of poetry 
What’s interesting is that many young poets are moving away from the conventional forms of poetry. While free verse was popular in the past, new ways of depicting imagery are being discovered. Yakoob says, “With globalisation, poets are exposed to different styles of writing which they tend to incorporate in their poems that reflect their moods.” At Jashn, poets were seen reciting ghazals in English that followed the Urdu meter. Interestingly, there was also a theatrical recitation of poems.

Grab ’em young
In a bid to make poetry more attractive to children, Sowmya Nittala, a Telugu writer, has plans on conducting a workshop to introduce Telugu poetry to children. Sowmya says the idea came to her when her mother, a music teacher, included poetic verse as a part of the music lessons. “The tradition of satakam padyalu and vemana padyalu sees poems filled with morals and stories for children. Kids aren’t taught these things anymore and I want to introduce them to the beauty of Telugu verse, through a workshop,” she says.

Taking poetry forward
Kavi Yakoob and Linda Ashok  also have plans of releasing an anthology of the works of participants. “We all have opinions on what’s happening around us and poetry is a great form of expression. It’s a tool for soft diplomacy — a poetic means of protest. It just needs to be polished and put out there,” says Linda, adding, “I was watching a scene from this Korean film which had a huge billboard that said ‘Poetry Fest coming soon’.That got me thinking… although literary fests rule the roost, there must come a day when poetry is given the same importance .”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> Books / by Afrin Humayon, TNN / April 08th, 2013