Bengaluru Poetry Festival 2022 will go online on August 27 and 28

on Aug 24, 2022

The festival not only celebrates poetry but also freedom. Languages are not limited, and various reimagined performance styles are encouraged.

The Bengaluru Poetry Festival (BPF) is back performing live. The sixth iteration of this festival, which will be held on August 27 and 28 at The Leela Palace Bangalore, Old Airport Road, will mark poets' return to performing in front of an audience after two years plagued by the pandemic. Beginning in 2016, BPF is a poetry-themed art event that aims to give both participants and viewers a culturally enriching experience.

Subodh Sankar and his wife Lakshmi Subodh saw numerous poetry events held at their bookstore and cultural hub Atta Galatta run successfully, and that inspired them to create this poetry-exclusive festival. Poetry had a very small space at literary festivals. But the art world was still very much alive to poetry. So at that point, we decided to develop a platform that would be solely devoted to poetry," explains Sankar. Over 5,000 people have come to all four of the live performances of this festival since 2016 (the fifth was held online).

Despite being primarily geared toward an adult audience, the event also includes activities for kids. Pratibha Nandakumar, a well-known Kannada poet, has been coming to the BPF ever since it started. "I have participated in this festival since its inception, and I see myself as a member of the team. Every year, I attend this festival because of everyone's shared love of poetry, claims Nandakumar.

In addition to honoring poetry, the festival also recognizes freedom. There are no language restrictions, and different reinvented performing styles are welcomed. BPF is very receptive to any innovative poetry presentation. Nandakumar, whose new book and a poetry chapbook, for which she collaborated with the poet Mani Rao, are both being released at this year's BPF. "So, if I want to present a poem differently, I'm always certain I'll find the opportunity to do so in this festival," she says.

Many poets and the festival's organizers credit Bengaluru for much of the festival's success. Bengaluru is an intelligent city that has made significant investments in its own creative development. But the people here are sensitive and open. The Bengaluru Poetry Festival would not have been as successful elsewhere because people there often have other things on their minds, according to festival director Shinie Antony.

The Bengaluru audience is a fantastic audience for poets, according to English-Haibun poet Shobhana Kumar, who will also be present at this year's festival. I recall the Leela Palace being crowded on Saturday and Sunday mornings in 2016 when I participated in the first festival. That particular crowd is rare, in my opinion.