While the event at Urban Solace has been able to make people write their creativity on paper, they are not expecting much of a crowd this year.
Bengaluru: Heart shaped papers attached with strings adorn the walls of the café. Papers with the written prompt “Love is” were lying on every table. Customers were writing their thoughts on those pieces of paper.
Bangalore celebrated World Poetry Day with its sole event at the Urban Solace. But unlike other events they host at the café, they are expecting low participation this time.
Perry Menzies, owner of Urban Solace said that the audience for the ‘Pay with a Poem’ event has decreased. “Before lockdown, we used to have a crowd of at least 300 or more people. But now the audience size has reduced to 30 to 40 people. It has reduced for sure. People are busy, especially their minds,” he added.
Situated near Ulsoor Lake, Urban Solace has been holding “Pay with a Poem” since 2016 on March 21, which is celebrated as the World Poetry day. The event is popular among poets and non-poets alike. They share their stories for a cup of coffee every year.
Menzies said that the event is a good way to connect with poets and people. “We ask people to write a poem on a piece of paper and then ask them to read their poems out loud, like open mic events. This is a nice way to meet new poets with similar interests and share their creativity,” he said.
He also said that the main motive is to let poets be creative and write new poems and give a chance for others to write what they feel.
Srishti, a lawyer, said that she likes writing poetries in her free time but does not get time to do so these days because of her work. “I like events like these. I came over here, wrote a poem and got a cup of coffee. It feels nice, letting my creativity breathe with a busy work schedule,” she said.
Norden said that last year there were 70 to 80 people who participated in the event . “We don’t know how many people will be there this year, but we hope there are more,” he said.
But experts say that this may not mean that the art form has died out.
Dr. Vineeta Soni, literature professor from Amity University said that poetry is a hobby that requires more time and creativity. “The meaning of poetry has changed with time, but the essence is to speak their thoughts through words and rhythm. Fewer people do it as a main profession, but events like open mic, or even rapping for instance, let people show what they write to like-minded people. It is not dead, it just evolved,” she said.
