Hope Street Poets at Kalaghoda
The Hope Street Poets. Yes, thats what they were called, this heady mix of poets from all over, who converged like stars at the KalaGhoda ArtFest this evening. The garden of David Sassoon library lit up in a perfect blend of the past & present, as the Hope Street Poets - a moniker gifted by Ranjit Hoskote, gathered together under beautiful trees. It was a pleasure meeting up with poets i know and a rare privilege to hear those who i have admired only from a distance so far. Bina Sarkar Elias. Sudeep Sen. Ranjit Hoskote Anand Thakore. Priya Sarakkai Chhabria. Randhir Khare. Arun Sagar.They were all there. As were Anjali Purohit, Rochelle Potkar, Jennifer Robertson,, Mustansir Dalvi, Aditi Rao, Desmond Kharmawphlang, among others. There was an Israeli poet too - Tsippy Levine Byron. Their incredibly beautiful voices took us on journeys to so many places, even within ourselves. Aren't places maps of memory & emotions? They do leave an indelible imprint on poets, and no wonder they were celebrated - Palestine, Pune, Shantiniketan, Israel, McLeodgunj, Kerala....all came together in this poetic space under lush green trees. Relationships were brought out of clouded misty spaces and into our lighted moment, with so much empathy. This evening, it was a marvellous illumination of the inner creative force.... one that shatters through the outer shell and simply shines on.
Smeetha Bhoumik
