WEDNESDAY, MAY 08, 2024
Dolcy D’Cruz
Poet Khalil Gibran once said, ‘Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.’ The streets of Margao will get a taste of this writing that arouses strong emotions because of its poetic beauty as Zeitgeist Goa will be organising the first ever Goa Poetry Crawl. This unique event will see poetry lovers share their poems based on a theme, poet or collection, with an interesting walk around Margao’s Monte Hill starting at 9.15 am in March 8, commemorating International Women’s Day.
Founder of The Goa Poetry Crawl, Andrew Barreto, says, “I love a poem’s immediacy, its surprises, how dense, complex and beautiful ideas get together in such a short form factor. The performance of poems is also awe inspiring. When poets get their ideas across with a pause, a sigh or with just the tremble of their voice. When both these aspects meet together the senses are just delighted.”
On his recent trip to Mumbai, Andrew was inspired when he experienced a poetry crawl in Mumbai that made him decide to organise a Poetry Crawl in Goa, dedicated this to the memory of his late father Xavino Barreto, who passed away last year on this very date. The Poetry Crawl will begin at the Steps leading up to Monte Hill, next to old Hospicio Hospital, with stops in front of Monte Hill Chapel, at the end of the road after Ayush Hospital, after military depot and just before Cherry Tomato. “These are all young poets. The idea is to get teenagers and young adults to share their poems. Many of them have had their poems published in online sites. They have performed at the recent Goa Open Arts Festival for the open mic session,” says Andrew.
Speaking about the experience at the Mumbai Poetry Crawl, Andrew informs, “The Mumbai Poetry Crawl was on Nissim Ezekiel’s poems and how it tied to the city of Mumbai, it was beautiful. The host read out his poems and gave us information on his life. We also read out his poems and interpreted them. It made me look at the city vividly and differently. I found that people gathering together in public spaces and sharing to be a community building endeavour. So when I thought of starting this in Goa. I thought why not give a chance to all budding poets a chance to share their poems. The spots that we have chosen have certain symbolism that we hope will emerge when everyone will share their poems.”
The Goa Poetry Crawl is collaborating with Club Carpe Diem (a students’ writers’ and poets’ club), and Speqtra (a Representation of Gender & Sexuality in Literature course initiative), both associated with a prominent South Goa College. The crawl will be led by Andrew Barreto, along with poetry lovers Diya Padiyar, Kannavi Mishra, Anushka Gaikwad and Lee-Sania Estibeiro from Club Carpe Diem.
Club Carpe Diem is a poets’ and writers’ club comprising of students that meet every Friday to share poems, stories, anecdotes, music and stand-up. It is a safe space for students to share their original works and get feedback. The student poets of Club Carpe Diem are performing for the Poetry walk. “When we started Club Carpe Diem at Chowgule College in 2010, it was a few students meeting twice a semester for 4 to 5 times a year with few writing projects. Before the pandemic, it was 12 to 15 times a year and post pandemic, it has been 20 times a year with special performances. This academic year, we have completed 22 sessions already. Since it's an open mic, we have a few members of the public (ex-students, parents of students and friends of students) also performing their poems,” Andrew explains how Club Carpe Diem works.
Kannavi Mishra is a second year BA student pursuing her Majors in English Literature at Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, Goa. She's a young budding poet with liberal ideas and always fond of getting to know new people. She's often curating aesthetically pleasing content on Instagram. “Beyond the screen, my passions encompass poetry and drawing. I believe that art is a great medium to connect with others and most importantly to connect with ourselves. For me, poetry serves as a means of expression, where chaos is crafted into beauty through the arrangement of rhymes and lines,” says Kannavi.
Lee-Sania Estibeiro got a special mention at Fundacao Oriente Short Story Competition in 2023. She recently started exploring various forms of poetry. It has become a source of catharsis, which deeply resonates with her. She says, “I find immense joy in the creative process and I am excited about connecting with fellow poets from Goa, hoping to gain valuable insights, different perspectives, and constructive criticism. Poetry is a creative outlet where my innermost thoughts find a voice, expressing what can't be said otherwise.”
Diya Padiyar is a 19 year old literature student based in Goa with a penchant for creative writing. Her work has been previously published in local as well as international literary magazines. What started as a desire to share her words with the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, is now a never ending desire to improve at what she does. “I love juggling between being a full time college student and a part time content writer and poet. I believes that poetry is a universal language that helps me connect with the world,” says Diya.
Anushka Gaikwad, is an English Literature student who loves everything related to art. “I am passionate about music, poetry and photography. Poetry was not something I knew naturally. I learned it. It started to grow more when I connected with more writers and poets. One quote that would sum up my love for poetry is, ‘Let your feelings always inspire you.’ I wish to connect with more poets from Goa through open mic sessions, retreat and poetry crawls,” says Anushka.
Throwing light on the poets’ community in Goa, Andrew says, “Poetry clubs in schools and colleges are running quietly. During literary festivals or any opportunity that presents itself, many poets do come and share their poems. But where are the budding poets especially the teenagers and young adults? I feel there aren't enough spaces to share poetry and with English poetry so many feel their works are not good enough so they don't come forward and share their poems. I hope that we can create such a space for poetry to be made visible. We can see some quality poems during competitions.” Andrew also organises the Shakespeare Fest for high schoolers and HSSC students and Pegasus, the literary Festival for college kids.
Special performances from students on gender will also be featured at the Goa Poetry Crawl on March 8. The event is open to all and everyone is welcomed to join and share poems, stories and anecdotes to celebrate women in every way.
