Ode'dulation of the spoken verse

Admittedly, Bengaluru’s folks are an unfettered bunch, that are open to exploring myriad avenues off the beaten track – Spoken word poetry, a refreshing wave of art that welcomes unadulterated performance poetry, is one such concept that’s catching up among the creatively inclined in the city. Active practitioners of the trend tell us more…

A respite from the regular: “My stint with performing spoken word poetry dates back to a competition held at our annual literature fest in 2014. The concept was new and I was impressed how one could express views spanning social issues and creative scribbles to random observations through the act.

Since it’s a leeway of sorts to express yourself; the activity draws a lot of young audiences and participants as it’s not an everyday practice,” says Mobika Maring, a 24-year-old, a student from St Josephs College of Arts and Science.

On the other hand, Meera Govindan, a student from Mount Carmel College believes that open poetry slams are therapeutic practices. “What I’ve observed about the performance poetry scene is that the poets are honest with their poetry. One can just get onto the stage and unleash it all – that’s a great deal of freedom, and thus, makes you feeling lighter and at ease. Hence, I see it as a therapy of sorts, and a refreshing change from the regular.”

While performing live in front of a responsive audience is no easy feat, looks like the younger crowd are ready to face constructive criticism head on. “There is nothing more wonderful than the feeling you get when someone in the audience gasps or laughs at your original work.  For me, that’s where the fascination and growth lies. It’s time consuming like any other hobby. But it’s indeed fabulous when you’re in a room full of people who listen to you sans any preconceived notions,” says Oshin, a student from Christ University and spoken word poetry artiste.

Room for more:  Nandini Varma, who runs Airplane Poetry Movement, tells us, “There needs to be a shift from the art being perceived as just a mere passion to being a commercially viable profession.”