About 10 editions ago, Prakriti Foundation’s Poetry with Prakriti took the shape of a shy little event featuring eminent and emerging poets, spreading their verses across Chennai’s school, colleges, parks, IT parks, pubs, and public transport systems.
“It all started with the idea of our Margazhi season where so many performers showcased their art in different venues. I wondered what it would mean if we chose to replicate this idea in the form of poetry. After all, the verses of Carnatic composer Muthuswami Dikshitar and the likes of thumris and bhajans, take the form of poetry. What would it mean to delve into this space entirely in a city like Chennai?” recalls Ranvir Shah, founder-trustee, Prakriti Foundation.
In 2017, an article from The Hindu suggests that the people of the city took the event like a moth to flame. Older women who did not enter pubs, found themselves listening to Tamil rap artist Sofia Ashraf, engaging with her politics, also in verse. Several books were released during this event, and suddenly, there was a space for writers, young and old, to try and open their minds, hearts, notepads, and Google docs, to the idea of a reader, an audience.
In its latest edition between January 5 and 10 held in association with The Hindu Lit for Life, the festival, held across several venues, grows in form, just as promised in its first edition. “During these events, we find that there is an openness to receiving poetry. Poets, usually private people, are also willing to share and receive feedback. It’s a great space for engagement,” Ranvir says.
He adds that famous Tamil poets like Salma, whose association dates back to the very first edition of the festival, will be present at the event. “Post COVID, many of us lost touch. This year, we decided to call up Prakriti’s old friends and bring them back to our stages,” he says.
This year’s lineup involves other poets like Akhil Katyal, K Srilata, Shripad Sinnakaar, Kutty Revathi, Ramesh Karthik Nayak, Aleena, and several others, from distinct backgrounds, with a penchant for the political, through deep self exploration.
Ranvir asks the audience to look out for a session where poets Geetha Ravichandran, Shikhandin, Sivakami Velliangiri will read out their work from their latest book Footnotes in G Sharp, while an artist paints, and a musician sets their words to tunes.
“We tried making poetry sexy,” Ranvir says.
Venues for the event are yet to be announced. Follow @theprakritifoundation on Instagram for more details.
