Generations come together to celebrate poetry

Our need for interacting and bonding with people over art, culture or culinary makes us feel human. Baithak and Beyond, a unique meetup of poets and poetry connoisseurs does exactly the same over every weekend in the city. The recent meetup in Baner held on Saturday was nothing short of a pleasant experience of celebrating a shared love of poetry and literature for Punekars.The event starts with recitals of a poem, ghazal, nazm or sher, either original or of a published author, followed by a hearty discussion and feedback. For an 18-years-old chemistry student, Amita Gurav, Baithak and Beyond was a much-needed getaway to connect with like minded individuals. “I chose to attend Baithak and Beyond, because it is very different from other open mic events. This is where you get feedback and know other people's perspectives about your own writings,” she says.Saad Ahmed Shaikh, an assistant professor and the co-founder of Baithak and Beyond, shared, “Everybody has a story to share and they only need a space where they feel comfortable to do so. And here, at Baithak we do exactly the same. Give them the space.” He further added that fulfilling feedback from the attendees is what makes Baithak a real success for him. The event saw over 30 attendees from different walks of life and varying age groups, ranging from people as young as 18-years-old to elders over 80-years. For an octogenarian Sharad Selot, who was attending such a gathering for the first time, it was a treat to find people who are much younger than herself and yet able to bond over their shared love for poetry. She said, “The younger generation is opting to ignore the social media and parties to come here is a big deal. It’s a treat to see that people from different age groups are all interested in poetry and literature. Everyone has their own set of opinions and no one is trying to be fake or mysterious.”