UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 07 SEPTEMBER 2021
India’s 75-year independence is to be marked by a special celebration of poetry from writers and performers of Indian origin.
Birmingham City University (UK) has joined forces with Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi to stage a series of three events across 2021 and 2022, which will celebrate the multilingual poetry of India and its diaspora.
Devised to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence the events will explore the longstanding tradition of poetry and its historic role in Indian tradition.
The series will feature Indian poets and British poets of Indian heritage to honour the close relationship between the two countries.
The first event will take place online on Saturday 18 September 4pm to 5.30pm IST (11.30am – 1pm UK time) and will feature artists including Rati Agnihotri (English/Hindi), Sanjeev Kaushal (Hindi), Meena Kandasamy (Tamil/English), and Anwar Ali (Malayalam/English).
Professor Rajinder Dudrah, Interim Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Enterprise in the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at Birmingham City University, said: “India has a rich and diverse tradition of poetry that spans many languages, giving us insight into varied cultures and social issues.
Poetry has been chosen as the focus for the celebration due its powers to cross borders, and the significant role language can play in connecting people.
The poetry events will also mark the lead up to Birmingham UK playing host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will see India compete in an array of disciplines.
The announcement marks the latest in a series of strong links between Birmingham City University and India, including its partnership with Hero Group to create a STEAMhouse India to bring together the arts with traditional technical subjects to boost innovation.
It also includes a partnership with Ronkel Media Education Institute, which provides students with real-world experience working on motion picture productions for Bollywood features.
Tickets for the free poetry events are available by visiting Eventbrite.