“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,” said the world renowned poet Maya Angelou. And so believes Ravi Vishwakarma the founder of a group that promotes literature through soulful poetry called ‘Poets of Bangalore.’
In a time when liberty, freedom of expression and democracy were considered the rights of the rich alone, came poetry as a saving grace. Several young and talented men and women used the power of their pen to address various issues they tackled at that time. Though we now live in a modern world we are still bound by the shackles of various other societal norms and civic issues.
Sharmila Maitra a poet and participant at the events organised by Poets of Bangalore shares her experience. She says, “This is a lovely platform for people to express how they feel about various things be it personal or something related to the society. Several talented writers come under one roof to exhibit their work. With the informative themes that the events are based on I have learned how every topic has different ways to be expressed and perceived. It feels like we all lie in the same spectrum with different dimensions.”
According to Ravi through Poets of Bangalore they aim at reviving the essence of poetry and utilising it for a cause. He says, “With the fast-paced life we live in, we get home from an exhausting day at work with multiple emotions binding us, but we tend to wear a facade to hide our emotions and stay normal. Though it seems strong, this is how most people succumb to mental health issues. Hence, we offer a platform where people can come and express what they feel through the art of poetry. We have no language barriers or rhythmic constraints; people can come and talk straight from their heart.”
Ronit a poet and participant says, “This initiative is run by an eclectic group of individuals. There are performer from all walks of life and all ages from as young as 16 to 70 all of them come under one roof to share their life.”
Poets of Bangalore is a Non-profit initiative and has been hosted by various famous cafe and co-living spaces in the city only to promote the love for poetry. When asked about what is their ultimate goal Ravi says, “We intend to revive the bygone era where poetry was loved and embraced. We also wish to expand this platform and conduct more open-mics, poetry and storytelling nights. We are also planning to invite published poetsand storytellers to share some wisdom with aspiring literature enthusiasts.”
