PVLF 2025

Gurugram Lit Fest hosts poetry publishers

on Aug 25, 2022

During the first edition of the DLF Gurugram Poetry Festival, held on August 20-21, 2022, the metropolis of concrete and glass, which is typically called the business hub of North India, got a distinct taste of poetry. The two-day event was co-organized by Hawakal Publishers and Red River, two independent poetry publishers based in Delhi. Madhu Raghavendra, a well-known poet and the founder of Poetry Couture, curated the event.

In addition to the premiere of current poetry collections published by Hawakal and Red River, the event saw both established and emerging poets from throughout India attend and read their work. Among the celebrities that attended the event were Rakhshanda Jalil, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Nabina Das, Paresh Tiwari, Inder Salim, Abhimanyu Kumar, Amit Ranjan, Rati Agnihotri, Manish Sinha, Uttaran Das Gupta, Maaz Bin Bilal, Amlanjyoti Goswami, Ankush Banerjee, Shamayita Sen, Nabanita Sen

Gourob Chakraborty (winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in Bengali in 2021), Sudipta Maji, Sabari Roy, Rimi Dey, Munshi Md Younus, Prasenjit Dasgupta, Aparna Singh, Sudeshna Chakravorty, and others performed during the festival.

Raghavendra, a popular poet whose poem 'Artist,' written during the pandemic, became a global session, said the festival's goal was not only to bring poetry to the forefront of cultural conversation (as he has done for the last ten years through his organisation Poetry Couture), but also to highlight the work of independent publishers.

"Typically, the focus of a literary festival is on fiction and nonfiction, and especially on books published by well-known publishers." Poetry, particularly poetry by younger poets, is sometimes overlooked. With this festival, we wanted to highlight not only the excellent work of Indian poets, but also the work of independent presses in publishing poetry, which is typically considered a loss-making endeavour."

This is why, he claims, the festival chose to work with the two independent publishers.

"The goal was to provide a venue for small publishers to promote their works, which frequently struggle to find a place in mainstream discourse," Raghavendra explained.

Over the last few years, both Hawakal and Red River have provided a platform for a varied spectrum of speakers to share their poetry with the world.

In addition to publishing some of the rising writers in the Indian poetry scene over the previous five years, Hawakal also publishes the yearly Yearbook of Indian Poetry, edited by Sukrita Paul Kumar and Vinita Agarwal, which combines the best poems published in India over the course of the year.

Meanwhile, Red River, whose titles are noted for their distinctive subjects and unconventional approach to design, has published some of India's best young poets today, whose works have gone on to earn honours and acclaim. Witness: The Red River Book of Dissent, edited by Nabina Das, was recently published by Red River and comprises 250 poets writing about their notions of dissent.

Nabina Das, a poet and translator who recently translated 50 Bangladesh Women Poets in English (Arise Out of the Lock), attended the ceremony to launch the book. This was followed by an anthology reading.

Several new Red River titles were also launched at the occasion, including Now a Poem, Now a Forest by Paresh Tiwari, The Knot of Juggernaut by Amit Ranjan, I'd Like a Bit of the Moon by Rati Agnihotri, Speaking in Tongues by Kiran Bhat, and The Grand Museum of the Earth by Manish Sinha.

Raghavendra stated that he would like to engage with additional independent publishers, particularly those working in specialist segments such as women's writing, Dalit writing, indigenous writing, and so on, beginning next year (the event promises to be an annual staple in the city's cultural calendar).

Poetry translation is another area of interest for Raghavendra, who was just accepted into the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. A dedicated session with eminent translator Rakhshanda Jalil was held to this end. Jalil spoke with Raghavendra about her experiences translating poets like Shahryar and Gulzar, as well as the complexities and nuances of translation.

"It's inspiring to have a multilingual poetry festival in Gurgaon," said Bitan Chakraborty, founder of Hawakal Publishers, who attended the event and chaired numerous sessions. Hawakal is honoured to be a part of this amazing venture. The DLF Gurugram Poetry Festival adds a unique dimension to encouraging new voices."