Mumbai's Sahitya Akademi Sees Fusion of Different Worlds Through Poetry

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, Sahitya Akademi in Mumbai hosted a unique event. The ‘Multilingual Poets’ Meet’ was held on February 21, 2024, at the Auditorium in Dadar (East).

The event started at 5 pm and saw recitations from four poets representing in a different language. Nirmohi Phadke - Marathi; Hiten Anandpara - Gujarati; Nery Melwyn Nazareth - Konkani; and Hitesh Peswani - Sindhi, recited their works.

On the occasion of 'International Mother Language Day', #SahityaAkademi organises 'Multilingual Poets' Meet' on 21 February 2024, 5 PM at the Regional Office Mumbai Auditorium.@ksraosahitya @PIB_India @PIBCulture @MIB_India @DDNational @_IndianCulture pic.twitter.com/6QP8ER8DjS

— Sahitya Akademi (@sahityaakademi) February 20, 2024

The recitation was in their mother tongues, with some Hindi poetry to create a common ground.

All the poets expressed their concern over the dwindling number of literary works in regional languages. They remembered the literature scene during earlier years in the 1980s and 1990s. They attributed the decline to the younger generation’s lack of exposure to the language.

Peswani was the youngest poet in the group. He shared his journey into Sindhi poetry. He began attending Sindhi kavi sammelans during the lockdown, where, despite low attendance, a group of dedicated poets regularly gathered to share and critique their work.

Navalkar highlighted that poetry and literature readings are a regular feature at the Sahitya Akademi Auditorium. She shared that not all sessions are impactful. But some, like the previous Urdu poetry session, prove to be unexpectedly thrilling.

The event concluded with the Sahitya Akademi moderator emphasising that the content of poetry originates from our shared world, transcending the boundaries of language.

The ‘Multilingual Poets’ Meet’ was also organised at Rabindra Bhavan’s Conference Hall in New Delhi, offering glimpses of the event’s reach and impact. In continuation of the celebration of International Mother Language Day, Sahitya Akademi also held a ‘Literary Forum on the Importance of Mother Tongues’ at Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada yesterday.