Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SB)

Mangaluru, Jul 31: It was an intellectual treat as poets, both experienced as well as aspiring, converged at Rohan Corporation, Balmatta here on the evening of Sunday July 30 to participate in the Maurice and Benedicta D'Souza Memorial Multi-lingual Poetry Session organised by Kavita Trust in association with the Kannada and culture department.

The session was presided over by Dr M Prabhakar Joshi, well-known teacher, writer, and Yakshagana artiste.

In his address, Dr Joshi emphasised on the importance and advantage of knowing several languages. "Knowledge of multiple languages opens up a world of perspectives. It brings us together by instilling values of sharing and caring, and inspires new ideas. Besides, we can feel the taste of a variety of languages. There is no difference between having a taste for Vedic languages and today's modern languages. If we look deep into any language, we will see its real beauty.
"In Mangaluru, people are familiar with at least three to four languages, and everyone feels a bit of influence of each of these languages in their lives. If you look at Konkani, it has a close relation to Vedic aspects, which means one who believes and practises the Vedas will have great respect towards Konkani language," he said.

Commenting on feminism, he said, "Feminism is one of the most commonly used subjects to deal with social injustice, especially that of exploitation of women. But poets should think beyond this. There are various ways to expose social injustice and express one's innermost feelings. We need to explore these possibilities."

He later moderated a session of poetry recitation where 16 poems were read by various poets. He lauded the poems for their depth and composition.

Kannada poet Ja Na Tejashree, read 'Gandhi Nanage Gottu', 'Yakshini Kannadi', 'Kolalu Mattu Amina' and 'Ahalye' . Her 'Gandhi Nanage Gottu' poem received huge appreciation and comments from the audience.

Well-known Konkani poet and activist and teacher Arun Sakhardande from Goa also took part in the poetry session. His 'Rag', 'Asam', 'Sangath' and 'Nat Samrat' poems were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

Activist and Tulu poet Amrutha Atradi read her Tulu poems 'Mapu Depada', 'Nadake', 'Balegonji Pathere', and 'Amasara Bodchi'. Fr Joseph Cyril Siddhakatte thrilled the audience with his poems 'Kuchelachi Pirngon' , 'Gay', 'Hanv ani Balpon', 'Bidi Bandcha Chedvalagim'. His 'Kuchelachi Pirngon' spoke on different dimensions of Vedic period and current situations.

'Bucky the Cowboy', a novel by 15-year-old Ronan Almeida, a student of Cambridge International School, Dubai, was released during the programme.

Central Sahitya Akademi awardee Konkani poet and president of Kavita Trust Melvyn Rodrigues, Kavita Trust trustees Kishore Gonsalves, Averyl Rodrigues and William Pais welcomed the guests and the poets with bouquets.

Titus Noronha compered the programme.