DEHRADUN: For several poets and satirists, largely from small towns, the Covid-19 lockdown has thrown up an unexpected opportunity. With live shows cancelled — the only source of income for many — kavis (poets) and vyangakars (satirists) who are well-known in poetry circles, but had no virtual presence prior to the coronavirus threat, have quickly reinvented themselves to go digital.
Many have for the first time turned to online platforms to earn money, performing sessions on Facebook, Zoom and YouTube and earning anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh a month. In comparison, poets with 20-odd live stage shows a month used to earn an average of a lakh a month.