Kavignars, there’s poetry brewing with coffee here

Ini perundhukal varap povathillai

Endru urangap pokum

Therumunaikalai atheetha

Narumanam kondu nirappu

avasthayaana alagukal konda penaana aan

maarpil pathiyum

rekaikalum kaikalum

kalakkatha andha maunathil

sarukukalin iraichal innum innum

peythu kidakkum…

[Fill with immense fragrance/the street corners/that go to sleep/as buses will arrive no more/he who became a she/with an insufferable beauty/In the silence where/there aren’t those hands/that settle on the breasts/the rustling of dry leaves/sounds more/and more]

As Vikram S Vaidhya, co-founder of Kavippom, a group of young Tamil poets in Chennai, reads out his poem to an audience of 20-somethings at a cozy community space, his voice is filled with passion and his words heavy with irony. Through the metaphor of silence, his verses give voice to the unheard cries of a transsexual. The event, organised by Let’s Talk Life is one among many others in the city that have been instrumental in developing a strong community of aspiring young poets including a new breed of Tamil poets. Taking place in warmly lit art galleries, bistros and community spaces, these meet-ups have become a regular weekend feature in the city.

Nandhitha Hariharan, co-founder of Let’s Talk Life, says the unintimidating environment of these spaces gives people the confidence to share their poems. "Over the past year, we’ve seen many Tamil poets perform. Many of them have been inspired by the spoken word

poetry

," she says.

Groups

like Kavippom encourage the performance of Tamil poetry. "We wanted to break the view that Tamil is a difficult language. The idea was to push young people to write poetry which is simple yet grammatically correct," says poet and Kavippom’s co-founder Karthikeyan Emayavaramban.

From doctors and engineers to bankers and lawyers, a flair for the language, a love for Tamil literature or the desire to pursue a long-lost hobby, has drawn many to these platforms. "My interest in poetry grew after the demise of poet Vaali (in 2014). Two years ago, I gave my first performance before an audience of four. Only one of them understood Tamil. But what encouraged me to continue was the fact that even a group of strangers came to listen to what I had written," says 22-year-old Ishvar Krishnan, who since has performed poetry for digital media companies like Culture Machine.

Stints at poetry reading sessions inspire many

budding poets

to start their own social media pages, YouTube channels and in some instances publish their poems. An apt instance is creative designer Uma Jayabalan who organised an event in April this year to showcase her collections of poetry, paintings and photographs. "I wanted to set an example for others like me to pursue their passion. The exhibition was an opportunity for me to gain insights about my work from well-known personalities like lyricist Madhan Karky Vairamuthu and Tamil writer G Thilakavathi," says Uma.

While drawing inspiration from Subramania Bharati and Arunagirinathar, the young poets are also open to experimenting with formats. "We write dialogue poetry, Andhadhi, Venba — a form of classical Tamil poetry — and Haikus, a Japanese format," says Vikram. Many revisit epics and history or take a dig at politics through their poems. "Some of them have given alternate endings to epics like the Ramayana," says Gayathri Krishnaraj, co-founder, Open Sky Slam, another platform for poetry in the city. Genres like erotica have not just found a place in Tamil writing but have elicited positive response at these poetry reading sessions.

But with the growing popularity of such platforms, one wonders if the quality of writing has taken a beating. Experts say while it is heartening to see young minds take to the craft, their awareness and knowledge of poetry, however, is still poor. "Poetry cannot be a mere expression of emotions. It is crucial to know about poetics and aspects like form, content and expression too. Reading traditional Sangam literature and modern poetry from across the world can improve writing," says poet Manushyaputhiran.

Jack Danis, advertising copyrighter and Tamil poet, however, says such platforms are beneficial for aspiring poets as they give them the opportunity to interact with experts who in turn help them to decode poems in grammatical terms.

(The author is a freelance writer)