SERENDIPITOUS VOYAGES: LOOKING TO THE SEVENTH HUE

LOOKING TO THE SEVENTH HUE

Thick black clouds poured down heavily without warning. The ruthless rain that pounded Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district on 18^th September caused considerable damage to lives and property. Nonetheless, the flood ravaged roads and bridges leading to the Guntur railway station did not deter the two main organizers, Prof. P. Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela of J.K.C college, from receiving the poets coming from different parts of the country and abroad to participate in the Seventh International Poetry Festival-2014, that too at odd hours. That sheer determination and dedication paid off when the two day poetry fest which was officially inaugurated on 19^th September, turned out to be a massive success with as many as seventy poets from India and abroad turning up to enjoy the fascinating world of poetry. It seemed that the pouring rain floated midway on the clouds. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky. The beautifully decorated stage and the scrupulously carved arches festooned with marigold garlands leading inside the auditorium gave the whole place a mesmerizing appearance of orange hue. It was like a stream of blissful water flowing forth from a sacred shrine, like the seven rainbow hues, arc through the sky after a soft silvery drizzle. There we sat down together as a family in that sublime pleasure of reading and listening to some of the most compelling, beautiful and interesting poems from the anthology, “ The Rainbow Hues”…….!

This is the most exciting post I have had to write since creating this blog. I was enthralled to receive, and delighted to accept, an invitation from the organisers of the seventh international poetry festival 2014 early this year to recite my two poems, “The Wail Of A Forlorn Tree” and “Thus My Tryst With Peace Began”, before a galaxy of reputed poets and renowned writers from India and abroad. Now that I have returned from the poetry festival that culminated in a grandiose way at the JKC college located in the midst of sprawling lush green expanse at Guntur district in Andra Pradesh, I dedicate this post to two inspiring and altruistic academicians from the department of English, J.K.C college, Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela, who by virtue of their devotion and the special cause to which they were dedicated, proved once again that money and quality literature seldom mix.

I have never been to a poetry festival before. Furthermore, I can’t even recollect an occasion in my life when I actually recited a poem in front of a live audience. Well aware of the challenge that awaited me at the festival in reciting a poem before a galaxy of very knowledgeable and reputed poets, particularly due to my restricted exposure to English poetry, I mustered up enough gumption to stand up and take on this new challenge and thus, if possible, chase down a dream. That nerve eventually took me to the Guntur International Poetry Festival 2014 as a contributing poet for the anthology, The Rainbow Hues, a brilliant collection of poems from almost 170 poets from all over the world.. Notwithstanding that I pursue much interest in literature and other literary activities, till now, my endeavors were limited to no more than a few write-ups in my personal blog and yes of course, in some e-journals. An opportunity to attend such an important poetry festival, I thought, will enable me to sink in the deep abyss of poetic bliss and perceive the beauty within the gentle and tranquil world of poetry. I will try to share with you the unique experience I had while participating at the fest.

When I reached the Guntur railway station after some 24 hours of dreary journey from Trivandrum, I was greeted with a taunting cacophony of noise produced by several passengers stranded inside the station due to heavy downpour and water logging all around. Somehow I worked my way to the exit gate where I found the two fest organizers Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof.P.Nagasusheela, who came to receive me by overcoming all the challenges and adversities in driving through the flooded roads and bridges connecting the city to the railway station. There at the exit gate they introduced me to Prof.Dr.Balachandran, a renowned poet, academician and an Ex-dean from Tamil Nadu who came at the same time and in the same train. It was a pleasure meeting such a great scholar as a fellow poet.

Nine kilometers after we set out on our journey from the station through the water clogged roads and boulevards, we saw a huge campus on the right side of the road with the name “Jagarlamudi Kuppuswamy Chowdary College” etched on its entrance arch that revealed that we had reached the venue for the festival. The organizers took us to a nearby canteen where together we had a sumptuous south Indian breakfast along with a much needed special Andra Tea. From there we were taken to the adjacent college guest house, a stunning newly built structure, well maintained and equipped with the most modern, state of the art facilities. I felt very excited to have Dr. Balachandran as my roommate. We spent the day talking about art, literature and poetry. It immensely helped me to understand and experience his extensive knowledge of English poetry and literature. As a bilingual writer he has published nineteen books and number of poems, research articles and reviews in India and abroad.

In the afternoon, we visited the auditorium where we met among few other participants, Dr. Kedarnath Sharma and Dr. Sudarshan Sharma, some of the most prominent names among Indian poetry writers and critics. Those moments are worth remembering forever.

The weather was very kind to us the next day. There at the entrance of the main auditorium, the hosts, Prof. P.Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela along with a group of college students in colorful apparels greeted the poets as they arrived. After a quick breakfast, prearranged at the rear of the auditorium, I found a seat among one of the few empty chairs in the main hall. As I acclimated to the environment around me, which was by then filled up with enthusiastic college students and volunteers who came to listen and meet some of the best known writers in India, the two organizers took to the microphone to offer the welcome speech. While welcoming the distinguished invitees, they provided a brief introduction of the seventh poetry festival and the significance of conducting such an international event that encourages many poets to compose their best pieces and also guides the public understand and appreciate the value of contemporary poetry.

Total silence reigned in the auditorium as the fest was inaugurated by Secretary and Correspondent J. Narendranath while Nagarjuna Educational Society president K. Basavapunniah released the e-version of the anthology “The Rainbow Hues”. Those who were looking for something different from the usual sequence of events were pleasantly surprised when the organizers opted to felicitate the chief guest and other invitees by presenting them with “Tulsi Saplings” instead of bouquet of flowers. The inauguration and the book release function were as graceful as a beautiful poem being recited in the backdrop of a serene river bank. Thereafter, nine poetry books authored by different poets were launched at the festival by eminent poets and the organizers as well.

After the inauguration was over, and the distinguished dignitaries had left the stage, the organizers took the center stage and then began the main function. Over the next few hours we sat as a family and listened to many senior and renowned poets from India and abroad who took turns to recite their beautiful poems. There in the middle of them I found myself enveloped in a blissful world of rhymes. Lured in by the intonation and denotation of their words, it was like a self introspection for me. As I listened to some exquisitely beautiful poetry covering the magnificence in life, nature, romance and love, I thought how blissful this planet is. That very thought lifted me through the morning session that ended well past 2.

By the time the morning session of the poetry festival drew to a close and the organizers invited us for a delicious multi cuisine lunch, I found myself wedged in my chair, trying to recollect some incisive, inventive, and profoundly lyrical poems proudly recited by the poets. I also thought through the brilliant comments made by those eminent poets who chaired the panel discussion on the dais, some of which, I must say, I did not fully understand. Dr. Balachandran, my roommate was indeed an enthusiastic participant in the critique discussions and his generous and honest comments were highly appreciated by the audience. The impact of such interpretations was the real take away from the session.

The afternoon session continued with more poets reciting their poems with the same spirit of zeal and enthusiasm and with that keen social conscience and right perspective.

Evening came and it was now the time to retire for the ‘high tea’. Immediately after that, it was my turn. Thanks to the many speeches and lectures I had delivered while I was in armed force, I didn’t feel like I was under any pressure and I didn’t feel any sort of stage fright as well. Fellow poets and public appreciated my effort with their kind words of encouragement and wisdom once I finished reciting my poems published in the anthology and the organizers traditionally honored me with a shawl and a certificate as they did with the other contributing poets as well.

The first day of the festival finished late in the evening. At the end of the day’s proceedings we were treated to a two hour wonderful exhibition of cultural program by the enthusiastic and lively students of JKC College. Anusha, a pretty final year degree student stunned the audience with her flawless Kuchupudi dance. It was sheer magic with an exquisite blend of synchronized footwork, melody and eye-hand gestures. Sandeep, an active volunteer from 1^st year B com, entertained us with a set of devotional songs together with his friend Durga Prasad. It is worth mentioning here the beautiful voice these boys have and their relentless energy to perform. We were witnessing raw, visual splendor in its purest form, much more amazing than we ever could have imagined. The audience was really captivated by the performance of these young students.

I was taken by surprise and actually had to politely refuse when one of the organizers, Prof. P. Nagasusheela asked me to come onto the stage and sing them a song. But then, a few fellow poets nudged me to sing at least a line or two. Though I sang the famous “ Chand Jaise Mukhde Pe Bindiya Sitara” a song by the iconic Yesudas, I firmly believe that it was a pathetic performance, in spite of the fact that almost everyone appreciated my attempt.

This proved to be an excellent session, with poetry jaded sometimes, give way to spectacular dance and music and that too by enthusiastic young boys and girls of JKC College. The usual sumptuous vegetarian dinner was served shortly after the cultural program.

Next day morning, all the guests were taken for sightseeing around Guntur. A visit to the Shri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy temple was a memorable one. The temple is situated on a hill. There is a legend about the offering of the panakam (jaggery water) to the Lord. It is said that the hill was once a volcano. Sugar or Jaggery water, it is said, neutralizes sulphur compounds found in a volcano and prevents a volcanic eruption. The Jaggery water is actually poured into the mouth of the Lord as an offering. A gargling sound is clearly audible as if the Lord is actually drinking it.

Finally, when it was time to bid farewell, we gathered again in the auditorium for a group photo with the organizers, volunteers and students. Undoubtedly the experience was a beautiful one. I wondered why it had taken so long for me to attend a poetry festival of similar kind.

The seventh International poetry festival undeniably stood out for its marvelous participation of quality poets, excellent panel discussion, really powerful theme relating to our daily life and the sheer diversity of the participants.

Congratulations to Prof. P. Gopichand and Prof. P.Nagasusheela and their team who made this event a grand success. This was possible with the strong support from the management of JKC College who consolidated their commitment to human values, world peace and environment protection.

Before heading home, there was time to take a few snaps with fellow poets and volunteers. When I boarded my return train to Trivandrum from Guntur in the evening, with me were three young and brilliant poets from Kerala. Mr. Abdul Bari, Sreeja Nair and Seena Nair. Thanks to their exquisite talents not only in reciting poems but also in singing beautiful melodious songs, the ambiance inside the train transformed into a blissful one and I was resigned to their adamant resolution to keep awake till mid night. But more than anything else, their excellent oratory skills and lengthy discussions on conceptual understanding of contemporary English literature were what made my night special. It was in fact a rare congregation of like minded individuals gather for some quality entertainment.

I do not know if I will be invited to participate in the next poetry festival proposed to be conducted at Vishakhapatnam, but one thing is sure that I would love to attend any number of such festivals conducted in this manner.

Here are some photographs of our most memorable moments in Guntur Poetry Festival....

With Poets, Prof. Dr. Balachandran, Dr. K.S.Chandrasekhar, Dr.Pon.Lakshmanan, Prof. Dr.Kedarnath Sharma and Dr. Sudarshan Sharma, at the auditorium.