Poems in May

It took a beautiful email by Arundhathi Subramaniam introducing me to Jennifer Robertson for a wonderful reading of poetry to happen (at short notice) at Kitab Khana, Flora Fountain, Mumbai yesterday.

Here we were, nine of us gathered to celebrate poetry and read from our poems, viz. Mustansir Dalvi, Anjali Purohit, Dion D'Souza, Vinita Agrawal, Gayatri Chawla, Smita Sahay, and Suhit Kelkar. . .  no strangers, just friends who had never met. Yet in an uncanny way there was a bonding, a certain something which made us part of each others' lives. Each word, each phrase, each line, each pause was drenched with possibilities.

I was overwhelmed that the private reading was held to mark my passage through Mumbai - a salute from the Mumbai fraternity of poets to another poet passing through from Goa. In a finely nuanced session we got to hear some of the best poetry happening today.

The themes ranged from the city of Mumbai, violence against women, Goa, Gupta sculpture, cats, dogs, home remedies, Jaipur, and the hills. I began with 'Fr. Joseph Rowland Salema,' and went on to read 'Midnight City' on Mumbai and  'Sonya.' I closed with 'Chariots of Fire' and 'Be.'

I felt touched by the honesty and the sincerity of these poets . . . and privileged to be counted as one among them. I look forward to read more of their work.

If there was one more poem I could read it would be:

Harbour Line

-Brian Mendonca

Bandra (Main) to CST
Harbour Line you make your way
Wadala, Masjid, Reay Road, Elphinston
I grew up with you from boy to man.

Now the people we know
have gone to their rest
How does it matter if the poet asks -
'Can there be commerce between us?'

Tiresias, you see all things
Across the realms of the past, you endure
Talent and money
What are they without time?

(Mumbai, 2001)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Photo courtesy, Vinita Agrawal at Kitab Khana, Mumbai on Friday, 24th May 2019.