‘Light that emanates from the Core of Gloom is your Glow. Goodness, wide-awake among all Discord, is your Truth'

Poetry is Painting that Speaks 💛

The renowned first century Greek scholar Plutarch, in his Moralia [Morals], a repertoire of essays and speeches, writes about the high conception of poetry!

Says he in this memorable dictum,

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry painting that speaks!”

A host of timely poetry anthologies from across the world, have proven to be a great source of healing to the nations, and therapy to literary souls during these tough pandemic times.

Many of our friends and students had also published some of their poetry anthologies during these pandemic times!

To name just three in recent times from my own friends’ circle -

1. Prof. Aparna Suresh’s Anthology of Poems titled, Painting Dreams

2. Prof. Sai Shri’s Anthology of Poems titled, Aviyal

3. Ms. Christina Lawrence’s Anthology of Poems titled, Asena’s Poetry

Kolkata poet Kiriti Sengupta’s Anthology of Poems titled, Hibiscus is another able testament to this credo!

Excerpting a few lines on his poetic initiatives from today’s The Hindu –

To respond to the pandemic with poetry - the idea came to Kolkata poet Kiriti Sengupta in April 2020 when, during the COVID-19-forced nationwide lockdown, he chanced upon a piece in the Irish Times.

Chris Fitzpatrick, the author of the article, had said - 

“In time, we will need poets and writers of the imagination to look through the looking glass - and tell us the stories of this strange, upside-down world. We will need more than a vaccine and a rebooted economy to heal us”.

In a matter of just one month, Hibiscus was ready, brought out by Hawakal Publishers, the publishing house Mr. Sengupta is associated with.

As many as 104 poets across the world - including some of India’s biggest names such as Keki N. Daruwalla, Sudeep Sen, Mamang Dai, Sanjeev Sethi - contributed to the collection, which rolled off the press in the midst of the lockdown.

The success of Hibiscus encouraged Kiriti Sengupta to seek submissions for a subsequent collection titled, Shimmer Spring.

Hawakal published Shimmer Spring as a stunning, all-colour, hardcover coffee-table book.

They even offered the contributors an honorarium.

Tagore’s words –

‘light that emanates from the core of gloom is your glow. Goodness, wide-awake among all discord, is your truth,’

were the most significant motivation as I conceived this book. I was curious to explore how contemporary writers derive and disperse light, said Mr. Sengupta.

Indeed, the sages of yore were never wrong, when they said,

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry, painting that speaks!”

And heals…! ✨