Mysuru: The Kavi Ghosti (Poets’ Meet) held yesterday at the Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Mahamantapa in Maharaja’s College Grounds as part of the 83rd Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammlena saw a huge gathering as poet after poet mesmerised the audience with their poetry reading.

Some of the poems that caught the attention included Sammelana President Prof. Chandrashekar Patil’s (Champa) daughter Meena Patil’s poetry on her father titled ‘Appa,’ Chamarajanagar’s Somashekar Bisilvadi’s ‘Aralimara,’ Bagalkote’s Malatesh Urs Arthikoti’s ‘Appa Mattu Nanu,’ Mysuru’s Gubbigudu Ramesh’s ‘Nanna Kavithe,’ Dr. D.C. Rajappa’s ‘Datta Peetha Mattu Bhakta,’ and Rajiya Balabatti’s ‘Naveega Prayoga Shishugalu,’ all had the audience clapping in appreciation.

Rajiya Balabatti’s ‘Naveega Prayoga Shishugalu’ poem looked like stinging the ruling party when it appealed to them to allow them to live as they were not animals to be experimented but were humans who were alive. Bengaluru Joint Police Commissioner Dr. D.C. Rajappa’s ‘Datta Peetha Mattu Bhakta’ poem was a message to Hindus and Muslims to follow a peaceful path.

Somashekar Bisilvadi’s ‘Aralimara’ was thought-provoking where he pens the idea that you became the Buddha and made me Bodhi. Gubbigudu Ramesh’s ‘Nanna Kavithe’ was haunting when he read that even though he had a voice he cannot sing, nor was there any heir nor petition and man is just like a skeleton.

In all, 28 poets including Dr. Chandrashekar Talya, Pratibha Nandakumar, K. Sharifa, Dr. Latha Gutti, Dr. Kamala Hemmige, Chand Basha, Dr. Somanna Mangaluru, Vijayakanta, Dr. Sujata Akki and Dr. Vasanthakumar Perla presented their poems.

Dr. Jayant Kaikini delivered the keynote address. Sammelana President Prof. Champa was present and Dr. Siddalinga Pattanashetty presided. However, there were one or two discordant notes as one could not make out when there was clapping that it was in appreciation or derision.

Poetry is something that is alive in all of us and this is the human face. The inspiration to pen a poem comes from observing the daily lives of people. What one cannot describe succinctly, it is possible to share it through poetry. A poet will lay bare small openings. Medicine and literature understands human pain and gives it treatment. We have become slaves to Facebook and WhatsApp. Let us try to come out of it and become aware and human.

—Dr. Jayanth Kaikini

There is no death for writing. There should be efforts to win over death while writing poetry. Poetry will enhance the poet’s prestige and his respect. If a poet’s mind is clean then his poetry will also be clean. Poets should taunt the mind but be free from prejudices.

—Dr. Siddalinga Patanashetty, Veteran Poet