South Asian Poetry Collective showcases rich poetry from the Indian subcontinent
South Asian Poetry Collective, a nonprofit poetry initiative celebrating the multilingual diversity of the Indian subcontinent, came together to celebrate Diwali at the IACA Diwali Mela. Brought together by Pooja Garg and Sandhya Bhagat, the Collective has local poets from Atlanta who write in over a dozen South Asian languages.
[Left] Members of South Asian Poetry Collective came together to share poetry around the theme of light over darkness at the IACA Diwali event.
Founded during the pandemic, the group came together to celebrate woman empowerment and raise funds through poetry for domestic violence survivors supported by Raksha Inc. Rooted in activism and community engagement, the group also offered their language skills for translating the pandemic guidelines for the community.
Capturing the true spirit of Diwali, the group of poets enthusiastically recited on the theme of “light in the face of darkness, knowledge in the face of ignorance, and empowerment in the face of oppression.
Under the direction of Sandhya Bhagat, the poets that presented were Sarika Jaswani, Pooja Garg, Jyothsna Hegde, Anubhooti Kabra, and Sandhya Bhagat. Anagha Anil Jaswani provided melodious background music for the recitation.
Sarika Jaswani presented two of her poems: “Life of Transcendence” and “End the Wars.” She said, “My first poem talks about rising above the realms of shadow and light—beyond the body’s hold and above the weight of worry, the past, the limits we were once told. My second poem talks about children who come from places without names, where lullabies are broken sounds beneath a restless, smokeless sky.”
[Right] Exchange of gifts and joy at the event.
Pooja Garg, who recited a poem by Mani Mohan, said, “I was drawn to this poem because it paid tribute to everyone who contributed to the light to our lives— the potter who shaped the lamp, the cotton picker who helped create the lamp wick, the farmer who grew seeds for oil, even the darkness that made the light possible. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to share our rich poetry with the American audience.” Author of Everyday and Some Other Days, a poetry book, Garg writes in English, Hindi, and Urdu, and conducts poetry workshops for healing. Garg is Deputy Editor of Khabar and Founder of The Woman Inc., an advocacy and literary magazine.
Jyotsna Hegde, Media Director of IACA, said, “It was a surreal experience to recite poetry in our spoken languages at a mall to celebrate Diwali in the U.S.! Born and bred in Namma Bengaluru, Kannada literature has been integral to my upbringing. For this event, I chose a work by the legendary poet K. S. Narasimhaswamy. His poem ‘Deepavali,’ embellished with rich metaphors, sheds light on the various sources across nature and relationships that illuminate our surroundings—a flower illuminates a branch, and kindness illuminates life itself. I will fondly cherish memories of sharing poetry along with my very talented fellow poets.”
Anubhooti Kabra, a poet who writes both in Hindi and English, said, “Just as the IACA and North Point Mall have brought Deepawali to mainstream USA, it was heartening to see poetry being brought into the mainstream of celebrations by the organizers. Poetry is a very powerful and inspirational medium, and even more so when it is performed on stage. The best part of the event for me was to get an opportunity to enjoy beautiful poetry during our discussions that I wouldn’t have come across otherwise.”
[Left] The poetry recital was well-organized and received by the audience.
Kabra, who selected a poem titled “Deep Jalau” (“Let me light a lamp”), said, “This poem was suggested by a fellow poet of the Collective, Shilpa Agarwal. The poem nudges the listener not to get overwhelmed by darkness but to light a lamp where it’s the darkest. Though I’m still looking for the name of the author, I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the poet for penning such touching lines.”
Sadhya Bhagat, who also runs a Hindi theatre group called Dhoop Chaoon in Atlanta, brought her coordinating skills to this event too. Said she, “The most interesting thing was that though all the poems were chosen individually by each poet, they flowed beautifully from one to the next highlighting the theme. I chose the poem ‘Nirbal se ladai balwaan ki’ which is written by a famous writer, Bharat Vyas. Many may remember it as a Bollywood song. The essence of the poem is that the flame of a small lamp is so powerful that it can overcome even a storm. This poem is very close to my heart and I’m sure it would provide inspiration to the listener.”
South Asian Poets Collective feels this is just a start. They hope that poetry will become a part of more community events so that more people can enjoy the rich diversity of South Asian poetry.
—Anubhooti Kabra Rathi
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