Poetry enthusiasts can anticipate an array of readings, book releases, and discussions at the two-day 'Mumbai Poetry Festival,' set to commence on January 5 in Vile Parle. The event will witness the participation of 52 poets from India and abroad.
Organised by the Poetrywala Foundation and Paperwall, an independent publisher led by Marathi poets Hemant and Smruti Divate, the festival will showcase special segments dedicated to Marathi and Latin American poetry.
Events organised for the festival
In addition to English and Marathi poetry, the festival will feature readings and translations of poetry in Bangla, Cuban Spanish, Hindi, Odia, Gujarati, Mexican Spanish, and Dominican Republic Spanish.
Photo from the 2018 event |
The festival will include 10 book launches, encompassing seven poetry collections, one Diwali issue in Marathi, and two translations. Among the highlighted releases are 'In Search of Silence' by Prabal Kumar Basu and Siddhartha Menon's 'The Compass Bird.' Divate, expressing the essence of the festival, stated, "The festival will celebrate freedom and poetry. Poetry is essentially freedom. You free yourself from a lot of things through poetry and convey a lot through it."
Many national and international poets to grace the occasion
Mustansir Dalvi, a professor at Sir J J School of Architecture, who will read from his poetry and moderate events, emphasised the unique scale of the poetry event, stating, "The fact of the matter is that it is happening after a long time. So many national and international poets are coming together in Mumbai."
Notable poets participating in the event include Victor Rodrigues Nunez, Katherine Hedeen, Dulce Chiang, Siddhartha Menon, Jerry Pinto, Ranjit Hoskote, Menka Shivdasani, Claus Ankerson, Sachin Ketkar, Hemant Divekar, Minakshi Patil, Prabal Kumar Basu, Manoj Pathak, Rei Berroa, Christos Koukis, and Kamalakar Bhat. The represented countries include India, Greece, Cuba, Dominican Republic, United States, and Malta. The venue for the festival is Hotel Bawa International, Nehru Road, Vile Parle.
