Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)
Mangalore, Aug 8: A two-day state-level poetry writing workshop and poets' meet organized by Sahitya Academy, New Delhi, and Kannada department of St Aloysius College, began at Xavier auditorium, St Aloysius College here on Friday August 8.
Dr Vasanth Kumar Perla, assistant director, AIR, inaugurated the programme in a unique way by pouring rice into the pot.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Perla asked, "In a chaotic situation, what is the role of a poet and why do they write poems?
"Today, people think that the society is filled with confusion. Basically, society is not filled with confusion; it is within ourselves. When there is confusion within you, you feel the society is filled with confusion. A poet writes poems to remove confusion from within. The poet writes poems to know himself, to find himself, and to understand himself. Responding to others’ pain and sorrows is also like a poem. For people who are in repression, in trouble, a big poem will respond to their needs,” he said in his inaugural speech.
“The Ramayana shows the pain of Sita which relates to all women in society and the Mahabharata also depicts the pain of mankind. Giving moral support to the social system is very important. Poets, writers, and politicians try to keep the social system on track,” added Dr Perla.
"Day by day mankind is evolving; even the society is evolving. Three types of humans exist—hard working, intellectual, and devotional," he said, citing the examples of Shankaracharya, Madhvacharya, and Basava.
“If you want to serve the society with good poems, first you have to be a better person. You should be a good example to everyone. A poem or literature cannot be anti-human as it tries to keep the truth first. If a poem or literature comes from your heart, then it is a good one. The one that comes from your intelligence is considered bad,” said Dr Perla.
Dr N Damodar Shetty, in his keynote address, said, “The students of this generation have reduced studying and increased use of mobile phones, which needs to be discussed. These days, students are more ahead of everyone else. In the past, there was no other work except reading books. There was no TV, mobile phones, or any other gadgets. At present, it feels like people have everything yet it is hard to understand them. The poems and literature of the present are tough to digest. The main ingredient in poems and literature is missing.”
Fr Swebert D'Silva, principal, St Aloysius College, in his presidential speech, said, “A poet or a writer is a special person. A person who becomes a poet or writer belongs to a higher level of society. A poet cannot just create poems from his mind, it should come from his heart.”
Dr Saraswathi, HOD of Kannada department, St Aloysius College, welcomed the guests, while Dr Vishwanath Badikana, Kannada department, proposed the vote of thanks. Shama I N M, final year BA student, compered the ceremony.
Dr N M Narahari, Fr Walter Andrade, Dr Meenakshi Ramachandra, and other resource persons were present on the occasion.