For better & for verse

BENGALURU: Kaavya Sanje, an evening of poetry and a platform for poets, held at the Cubbon Park Metro Station on Sunday, brought together poetry enthusiasts from the city and beyond. Jesus Sepulveda, a poet from Chile, recited nine out of his many popular poems in Spanish. For those unfamiliar with the language, a translation was provided after each recital.  “This collective experience is bringing people together and changing society radically by replacing the notion of the individual as a self-centred consumer with a sense of community,” Sepulveda said.

The poet’s work has been translated from Spanish into 12 languages and published in over 20 countries. Mamta Sagar, founder, Kaavya Sanje said, “Ours is a forum for poets and poems, from across languages and geography. Jesus Sepulveda, who is a voice of resistance in Chile, reminds us of the essence of poetry – liberation.” At the event, poems in Kannada, Spanish, and English were heard, as these gatherings bring together poets who write in a variety of languages and come from different cities. The subjects of the poems were important to the author’s heart and included messages of social duty, love, and the little joys of life.

Sepulveda’s Inferno which he wrote in Spanish, was the first reading of the evening. It described the overwhelming feeling he had in the capital of Chile when he saw the people loitering around. “I was amazed by their intensity, and their immensity,” he said.Another poem of Sepulveda titled White Dragons in the Snow, described his feeling after both his parents died within 29 days of each other.