Coming Soon: A Hindi-Urdu Poetry Festival in Bangalore | SIFF Presents: Shabdon ke Ujale | November 19-20, 2022 | Bangalore International Centre

Singhal Iyer Family Foundation (SIFF)
presents
Shabdon ke Ujale: Kuch Kavi aur Unki Kavitayen
managed by
India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)

November 19-20, 2022 | Seminar Halls 1 & 2, Bangalore International Centre (BIC)
7, 4th Main Road, Stage 2, Domlur, Bengaluru - 560 071

Poetry lovers in Bangalore, we have a treat for you! SIFF and IFA bring to you a two-day poetry festival celebrating the richness of Hindi and Urdu poetry. Envisioned as an annual celebration, it brings to life SIFF’s dedication and commitment to excellence in the arts. The festival aims to create space for poetry in the city, bringing poets from across India and delving deeper into their worlds—of words, rhythms, imagery, and imaginations.

For this inaugural year, we have four poets with us: Ajanta Deo, Devi Prasad Mishra, Khaleel Mamoon, and Sanjay Chaturvedi, who will share their poetry and also be in conversation with our sutradhars for the event, Ajai Kumar Singh and Ashok Pande.

This event is open to all.

You can view/download the festival schedule and bios in English, Hindi and Urdu.

Festival Schedule:

Day 1: Kavita ki Shaam
Saturday, November 19, 2022 | 06.30 PM to 08:00 PM

Why does poetry matter? What is its power? Join us for an evening woven together by two Sutradhars, Ajai Kumar Singh and Ashok Pande, where four poets Ajanta, Devi Prasad, Khaleel, and Sanjay share some of their works, while talking about what poetry means to them, how it lights up dark times, and its impact on our lives as individuals and communities.

Day 2: Kavi se Guftagu
Sunday, November 20, 2022 | 11:00 AM to 04:30 PM

In four intimate sessions each with the two Sutradhars, the poets throw light on the trajectory of their creative journeys, revelations in their works, their processes, influences, preoccupations and aspirations.

11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon
Devi Prasad Mishra in conversation with Ajai Kumar Singh

02:30 PM - 03:30 PM
Khaleel Mamoon in conversation with Ajai Kumar Singh

Venue: Seminar Halls 1 & 2, Bangalore International Centre, Domlur

Ajanta Deo is a Jaipur-based writer and poet and has also trained in Indian classical music and Kathak. She has been involved in Hindi literature for the past 40 years and has published four books of poetry and one novella.

Devi Prasad Mishra is a poet, storyteller and filmmaker who has been writing poetry in Hindi for forty years and has published two books. He has also made two documentaries with PSBT. He has been awarded with Bharat Bhushan Smriti Samman, Sanskriti Samman and Sharad Billore Samman.

Khaleel Mamoon (Khaleel Ur Rehman) is an Urdu poet, having published eight collections of poems. He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award by Karnataka Urdu Academy, Karnataka Rajyotsava award, Karnataka  Mahanagara Palike award and the Sahitya Akademi award.

Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi is a poet and a doctor. He has been writing poetry in Hindi since 1978, with his works published in 14 collections and his poems translated into many Indian and foreign languages. He is a recipient of Bharat Bhushan and Firaq awards.

Dr Ajai Kumar Singh holds a PhD and DLitt in Hindi. An IPS Officer of the 1974 batch (Karnataka Cadre), Dr Singh has held various posts over three decades of service and retired as Head of the Police Department, Karnataka State. He has two books of poems in Hindi and has translated the works of many Kannada poets into Hindi.

Ashok Pande is a writer, traveller and translator. He has authored one poetry and several travel-books and has published many notable translations from English to Hindi and vice versa, some of which include Lust for Life by Irving Stone, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and the poems of Pablo Neruda, Roberto Juarroz, Fernando Pessoa, Yehuda Amichai, among others.

Shabdon ke Ujale is supported by SIFF. SIFF is a non-profit organization that was set up with the intention of working towards better education, a cleaner environment, and promoting their love for Indian music and arts.