March 21 is celebrated as world poetry day worldwide. UNESCO recognizes the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind while celebrating it. During UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999, a decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted.
In the message regarding the poetry day, director-general of UNESCO, Irina Bokova assimilates that poetry is a tool for dialogue and rapprochement and the dissemination of poetry helps to promote dialogue among cultures and understanding between peoples because it gives access to the authentic expression of a language. She has also expressed that poetry comes as deep expression of the human mind and as a universal art. Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings.
One of the main objectives of the Day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities. World Poetry day is observed for many reasons. Firstly, it is observed to encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals. Moreover teaching of poetry is promoted. Poetry day also may be observed to restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and to support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media, so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art, but one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity.
Although poetry is one of the oldest forms of literature, it is read less than other forms like essays and stories in the current time in Nepal. I wonder why poetry is not read and enjoyed by Nepali readers these days since the fascination towards it is reducing. I see poetry everywhere from personal conversations to films and from dramas to novels. Everywhere poetry is used to highlight the context and make it worth reading. A novelist uses poetry to pull the readers’ attention and a story writer uses poetry to make readers sentimental and to arouse emotions and feelings.
Even in revolutions and mass protests, poetry has been used when we study the political history of Nepal. Be it Gopal Prasad Rimal or Shrawan Mukarung, they have made poetry a crucial tool to prioritize serious concerns and issues. No form of literature can express our feelings in a subtle way except poetry. Almost all poems are subjective in nature that’s why readers get bored at the very beginning. But those subjectivity are the acute representations of many people like the poet. Poetry broadens our imagination and makes us creative. I agree with Wordsworth’s definition of poetry that it is a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and emotions recollected in tranquility.
Poetry is able to express events that are even restricted in a satirical way. I consider poets as the great source of human awareness. In Europe and America, night clubs are also jam-packed to take part in poetry recitation events whereas in Nepal, the matter is just the opposite. New poets are discouraged. Poets express their dissatisfaction for not getting space in newspapers and magazines here in Nepal. Some poets have really idealized poetry saying poetry will not die and although poems are taken out of poetry, it will live somewhere else. There’s no need to abolish poetry. It’s self-evident that most of the prose writers have used poetry in their works. There are many good signs of poetry. One of the fine Nepali poets, Yuyutsu Sharma is considered South Asia’s leading poet. He has made poetry recitations in major cities of the world and has equally earned sound reputation and remuneration. Poets Manu Manjil and Suman Pokharel have garnered SAARC awards. I see more possibility if good poets in Nepal get their works translated by good translators. This would take works by Nepali poets to global literary front and could be received by international communities. The foundations that are running in the name of nepali poets should also think towards translation and jointly move along with crafty translators. This will certainly prove the non-nepali literary world that our arts and literature is not less historic and unmatched comparing to theirs. Critic Mahesh Paudyal is initiating a movement called Kavitama Nepal aiming to bring out Nepali folk, regional symbols, local culture in the Nepali poems. The movement is an appeal that echoes stress on local color and ethno-writing. Paudyal claims that there is very faint notice of our poetry in Asia, or in the world. Translation, interaction and research are the ways out for taking the nepali literature including poems beyond borders.
Poetry provides poets with comfort, a way to express themselves, and the discipline of finding the essence with few words. Poems have also been viewed as carriers of messages from the unconscious to the conscious mind. Wherever people gather to mark a moment, they speak from heart to heart, with poetry. Likewise it is one way to cope with recession. Experiencing poetry, either by reading it, listening to it, or writing it, can help people manage feelings of loss and despair. Readers will find great underlying knowledge, culture, values and fun in poems. Poetry is also music. I express my sadness on why few people are reading poetry. I think missing poetry is like living in a world without music. Let’s all promote poetry once again in Nepal. Let’s make adequate interaction and research on it. Joint efforts of poets, translators, critics and researchers will be fruitful in this case.
Ken Subedi
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