100 Thousand Poets for Change' at Kitab Khana, Fort, channels the power of the written word to stir change
Mumbai jumps on the bandwagon of the global movement '100 Thousand Poets for Change' with a four-day poetry festival at Kitab Khana at Fort. Live music performances, readings and a special programme for children have been planned for this event. The music performances will be held in association with National Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA), a non-profit initiative to revive the culture of public performances and support the livelihood of artists.
'100 Thousand Poets for Change' was founded as a grassroots organisation bringing communities together for environmental, social and political change within the framework of peace and sustainability. Curator Menka Shivdasani says, "I do not believe that reading poetry will help stop violence against women or any other terror plaguing the world. Neither do I believe that it is possible or desirable (at least for me personally) to write poetry with an agenda. But I believe that poetry can help change the mindset and that all poets speak a common language of peace, whether they do this consciously or not."
This year, the event is associated with SPARROW (Sound & Picture Archives for Research on Women) along with Odissi exponent Jhelum Paranjape who will release the fourth edition of a five-volume series (brought by SPARROW) featuring 87 women writers across languages. Another important part of the festival is the work done by Rati Dady Wadia with school children. The message going out to the kids is that "in an increasingly divisive world, it is vital to build bridges and break barriers."
Anju Makhija, a poet participating in the festival, says, "I'm a poet myself and I'm glad that there are events like these. It is a great platform to meet other poets, exchange ideas, learn new trends and find out what others are reading."
Ayman Tambawala, a working professional planning to attend the event, says, "I love to attend festivals like these as they bring out the best that the city has in terms of arts and culture and is a much better alternative to a movie."
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}