The write stuff

At Kritya 2008, an International Festival of Poetry, poets from around the country & abroad will share their thoughts & feelings

It’s a celebration of poetry and the sister arts. Kritya 2008, an International Festival of Poetry being held in the city from November 14th to 16th will see verses flowing and poetry taking centre stage. To be held in collaboration with Punjab Arts Council, Rati Saxena is upbeat about the fourth such festival, which she believes will have ideas flowing and a dialogue happening between poets who have different styles, sensibilities, thought processes, ideas, inspirations, ideologies…”fiction is all that we hear of and poetry is neglected. This is our endeavour to get people to lend an ear to a selection of the best that is available in terms of contemporary world poetry,’’ explains Rati Saxena, a poet, Vedic expert and director of the poetry festival, here from Kerala . The word kritya means shabad shakti or the power of words and Rati says that dreams, like words, have been her constant companions. “Kritya, my web journal is a manifestation of my obsession with the word and the idea behind the launch is that I love poetry, second, the world of poetry is shrinking and dividing into various groups, especially in India and third, a web journal can reach out to a wider spectrum of readers without much expenditure as compared to a print journal,’’ smiles Rati. From modern poets to masters, Rati has translated them all, though she rues the fact that 40 per cent of poetry is lost in translations. “Listening to poetry is so much more meaningful and such poetry festivals get us close to other poets and poets and connects us to artists, understand their ideology,’’ Rati introduces you to Daniel, a painter, who will sketch the entire festival. Kritya 2008 will be held at the Punjab Arts Council from November 14 onwards. There will also be an exhibition of contemporary paintings by young artists from India.