Poetry Programme a Success

“Kavi Darbar” a Major Success

Poetry Symposium /Meeting, Sunday 6th December 2009
A ‘Kavi Darbar’ is a gathering of poets who come to an open poetry event with their work, often requested upon invitation to prepare tributes and poetry writing to celebrate specific events in the Sikh religious and cultural calendar.


Kavi Darbar was initiated by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Nanak or the 10th Guru of Sikhs. There were 52 poets in his darbar who used to recite poetry in his Darbar. Guru Gobind Singh Ji used to hold Kavi Darbar on the banks of river “Yamuna” at Paonta Sahib Gurdwara. Traditionally the birth of a Sikh Guru (a religious teacher) is marked by a dedicated Kavi Darbar, or durbar much the same as many cultural gatherings where ‘kavi ,’ the poet presents his or her poems or ‘kavita’ to the audience of other poets and community members who appreciate the creative aspects of skilled ‘wordcraft’ to address key topics. The poetry session is mostly held in the evenings after the completion of religious and cultural celebrations during the day.


The Sikh Community in Newham was the host to a national poetry presentation and many famous and well known poets accepted the invitation of Tarsem Singh Bhogal who is General Secretary of Panjabi Likhari Forum (U.K) , a Trustee of Ramgarhia Sikh Gurdwara and also for the Centre@270 Trust. Mr Bhogal chose a main theme, the first of which was the Celebration of the Birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh religion. A second round of readings was by ‘open choice’ where poets presented their own selections, mostly of new writing, to a very enthusiastic audience who were treated to the work of visiting poets from London, the Midlands and the North. The event was held in association with a national poetry organisation known as “Likhari” a sister organisation of Panjabi Likhari Forum (U.K) whose work in the Panjabi language can be accessed via www.likhari.com


The following notable Sikh and Hindu poets who participated in the Kavi Darbar were:

1. Ajit Singh Sundar

2. Bhupinder Singh Sahota

3. Chaman Lal Chaman

4. Dharam Pal Sharma

5. Gurdeep Singh Sandhu

6. Gurdev Singh Dev

7. Gurdev Singh Manku

8. Harcharan Singh Sehmi

9. Mohinder Singh Sehmi

10. Nirpal Singh Penhall

11. Pritam Singh Kamboo (Dr.)

12. Sathi Ludhianvi

13. Sohan Rahi

14. Sohan Singh

15. Surinder Kaur

The audience gave special ovation to Sathi Luthianvi, a local poet whose work is well known and internationally respected, to celebrate the confirmation on him of an Honorary Doctorate in the Arts by the University of East London. Sathi Luhtianvi is also a presenter of a radio programme broadcast by Kismat Radio. There was much applause and one or two poets prepared impromptu addresses to congratulate him for this major achievement.

 Chaman Lal Chaman, another internationally acclaimed poet and a presenter at the Panjab Radio. He presented his poems for the occasion and he was congratulated b y the host, Mr Bhogal, for his receipt of an award for the arts and culture for lifetime of success by the Asian Achievement Awards. Much of the poetry for the day was in the Panjabi language although some work was also presented in Hindi.

 Another most acclaimed poet was Mr. Gurdeep Singh Sandhu , the Managing Editor of Punjab Mail International, a monthly well known Panjabi Magazine. He narrated his visit to Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib and other historical Gurdwaras in Pakistan in his poetry. He was acclaimed many times by the audience during the reading of his poem.

 PROPOSALS FOR THE FUTURE

Poetry is a pathway to the deepest meanings of life and a rich celebration of cultural diversity. It is felt that in future the work will be made more accessible through special translation and mainstreaming its presentation for local audiences and especially young people to help them enjoy the marvellous experience of creative work in their mother tongue. The selection of themes will also carefully depict the issues of interest to young audiences from all cultural backgrounds. Poetry helps to identify commonalities of experience through creative use of language and there is no reason why poets should not intermingle and present work in several languages.

A further aspiration is to provide translations and to culturally diverse work even more accessible. In this regard, while the cost of publication of new work can be prohibitive. Our proposal to provide a dedicated networking poetry internet site will help to create maximum outreach for all poetry enthusiasts in the Borough and indeed the region and beyond.

 A proposed link with schools also deserves consideration. The creative aspects of interpretation will be most welcome in that poetry will also provide connections with events and shared issues. For example, a poem was presented on environmental conservation.

 Your comments on the event and indeed the proposal for an interactive site are welcome. Please contact me with suggestions for establishing an accessible programme for all sections of the community.


Tarsem Singh Bhogal, Trustee


Email: tarsem.bhogal@sky.com