On World Poetry Day, here’s presenting some of the best poetry videos and stories on The Quint.
The Quint’s Bhasha: “Bol, Ke Lab Azaad Hai Tere”
What better than a poem on freedom of speech to begin this World Poetry Day? Watch The Quint’s rendition of Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s ‘Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain Tere’.
Read the story here.
Imagine an India Where Love Is Stronger Than Hate
Talking of renditions and freedom, here’s The Quint’s reworked version of Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ for today’s India.
Read this story here.
“Mere Kuch Sawaal Hain” – a Muslim Man Pens a Poem on Triple Talaq
A Muslim poet-journalist pens a poem after documenting stories of Muslim women who have been subjected to instant Triple Talaq.
Read this story here.
One Day, I Will Resurrect: Rohith Vemula’s Poetry Lives On
On Rohith Vemula’s death anniversary, The Quint paid a tribute to the mind whose death sparked a storm in the country. ‘One Day’ is a poem written by Vemula and has been translated into 13 different languages.
Read this story here.
Activism & Art: Poetess Sabika Naqvi Performs at Marine Drive
The Quint met Sabika Abbas Naqvi at Marine Drive where she performed ‘Meri Saree,’ a poem about the nine-yard cloth that has been objectified, sexualised and yet remains one of the strongest symbols of female courage and identity.
Read this story here.
Move Over Fantasy Tales, This Digital Dastaangoi Is About Consent
The Quint brings the unique art of storytelling, the Dastaangoi, to the digital world. Stepping out of the comfort zone of quaint palaces, this ‘Digital Dastaangoi’ employs the form to tell tales of the here and now.
Read this story here.
Love in the Time of Hate: Verse and Dance Reclaim the Streets of Delhi
Sabika Naqvi recites a poem in protest against mob lynching in the middle of Connaught Place, New Delhi. Syncing her feet to Sabika’s verses is Anannya Chatterjee.
Read this story here.
A Poem of Outrage: A Woman’s Fight to Reclaim the Streets
When a hotel in Hyderabad refused to give her a room because she was a single woman traveller, this woman’s first reaction was confusion. But confusion soon turned to rage. The rage became poetry.
Read this story here.
Kamla Bhasin Hated Gender Biases in Poems, So She Wrote Her Own
Kamla Bhasin, a feminist-activist and the founder of the Jagori NGO, firefights this narrative by rewriting textbooks for children. In her books, women, men, girls and boys can do everything. Here’s a sample.
Read this story here.
SoliloQ: The Fisherwoman’s Song
By the shores of the Bay of Bengal, on Chennai’s Besant Nagar beach, a poet narrates the fisherwoman’s song.
Read this story here.
Sit Back, Toss Your Head – Ab Laugh Naari
A poem from The Quint’s Women’s Day campaign.
“A large Black Dog for the lady,
and very loud, crunchy Doritos on the side.
You can enjoy your drink as you like it.
No more trying to be sanskaari.
Sit back, toss your head.
AB LAUGH NAARI!”
Read this story here.
The Quint’s Bol Rap Ft. Chacha Nehru
As India’s ‘Tryst With Destiny’ continues, Chacha Nehru, aka the maker of modern India, aka a fashionista of the 50s, aka Jawaharlal Nehru, raps along.
Read this story here.
Dear Maa, I Wrote You a Poem
A poet pens a heartfelt poem for his mother and what it means to live many miles away from her.
Read this story here.
‘Dilli Ki Bewafa Sardi’: Keep Nostalgia Close, Winters Closer
A yearning for the winters, as they once used to be, along with a tremulous, yet firm reconstruction of the little joys the sardi bestows on us... ‘Dilli Ki Bewafa Sardi: A Forgotten Romance With Delhi Winters’ leaves you asking for more.
Watch the poem here.
No Same Sex Lovers, No Opposite Sex Friends, and Mind You, No Hugs
“While we’re still confused about the general idea of homosexuality, we’re happy being nosy and noisy and quite easily perturbed”, writes this poet.
Watch the poem here.
Urdu – The Bhasha of Beauty and Compassion
“Nazaakat iski pehchaan hai
Khoobsurat iske alfaaz,
Is zubaan se mohabbat hai
Is zubaan pe naaz.
Compassion is its distinctiveness,
An inherent beauty in words.
This language is love,
This language is majestic.”
- Sadia Salam
Read the full poem here.
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