Schedule

Love Liberates, It Doesn't Bind

Ramya Nambessan with Archana Vasudev

Explore actress and singer Ramya Nambessan's music persona, her creative process and the poetry behind her music.

अपना सच Apna Sach

Anuradha Singh, Gagan Gill, Lovely Goswami, Parwati Tirkey with Neeraj Pandey

A powerful discussion exploring how individual truths manifest in art and life with the best of Hindi poets, including Sahitya Akademi award winner Gagan Gill and Yuva Puraskar Winner Parwati Tirkey.

Ecstatic Émigré

Claudia Keelan with Mani Rao

A look at American poet, translator and essayist Claudia Keelan’s body of work.

City Songs

Bilal Moin, Bruce Lee Mani, Maitreyee B Chowdhury, Vivek Narayanan

A sampling of this year's 'The Penguin Book of Poems on the Indian City', a collection that offers an immersive lyrical exploration of India’s urban landscape.

A Poet's Journey

Anju Makhija, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Mamta Sagar with Debasish Lahiri

How do poets transform their craft over a lifetime? Explore the shifts, discoveries, and enduring themes that shape their work, from early verses to today.

Kaghzi Ishq

The Puppetarians - Hashim Haider and Sangya Ojha

The Puppetarians unveil a new genre - Spoken Puppetry, with this poetic puppet piece about eternal love. What happens when love outlives time, memory, and society.

Serenading in 70 mm

Devashish Makhija, Neeraj Pandey, Ritwik Kaikini with Archana Vasudev

How does poetry support and elevate the narrative in cinema? Listen to a film maker and two young lyricists starting to make their mark on the big screen.

The Accidental Tourist

Atreyee Majumder, Debasish Lahiri, Meera Ganapathi, Santosh Bakaya, Saraswati Nagpal

How does a poet travel through their verse? Join these poets as they navigate borders, belonging and home.

The Swan Flies to Kashmir: Arvind Gigoo's Interpretation of Lal Ded's Vaakhs

Siddhartha Gigoo with Maitreyee B Chowdhury

Siddhartha Gigoo gives us a unique take on arguably the greatest of poets from Kashmir, based on the works of his own father Arvind Gigoo. This is Lal Ded like never before.

Rhapsody Road

Ravi Shankar Etteth with Smitha Sehgal

With biting wit and singular understanding, here is a collection of poetry that will walk you through the ephemeral nature of life.

ಪದ ಸಂಚಾರ Pada Sanchara

Mamta Sagar and Shobha Nayak, performance by team Kaavya Sanje - Chand Pasha N.S, Dadapeer Jyman, Hajeera Khan and Siddartha M.S

Kannada poet Mamta Sagar brings to you her latest work, along with a performance.

दिल आज शायर है: Remembering Kishore Kumar

Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal

Dive with us into the extraordinary life and work of an artist who's voice knew no bounds.

You Are the World

Ali Al Maazmi, Amal Al Sahlawi, Claudia Keelan, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Shirani Rajapakse with Jeet Thayil

Join five poets across the universe as they examine how individual narratives connect and resonate worldwide with Bangalore boy Jeet Thayil.

Muskaanein Jhooti Hai

Suman Sridhar with Sharon Lopez

Join Suman Sridhar as she connects verse and voice. Discover how poetry forms the very heart of her captivating songwriting, and swing along to her sultry sound.

अल्फ़ाज़ मुझसे जुदा रहे الفاظ مجھسے جدا رہے

Danish Husain

The struggle with comprehending words and their meaning, and to form a bond with them to string them together into poetry.

UTKARSH Fellowship Awards Ceremony

UTKARSH Poetry Fellowship is instituted in remembrance of Utkarsh Verma by his mother Dr. Neena Verma, in association with the Bengaluru Poetry Festival.

The BWW Book of Emerging Poets

Bhumika Anand

An anthology from the Bangalore Writers Workshop (BWW), a first-of-its-kind writing and storytelling school that continues to thrive as an engaged community.

Untamed

Sandhya Mridul with Devashish Makhija

You know her from the screen and stage. Come, listen to her read from her debut book of poetry.

From 'Kal raat aaya ek chor' to 'Unse jaake kehdo'

Justh with Shrabonti Bagchi

The man behind the viral sensation 'Chor' is back with 'Unse Jaake Kehdo'. Listen, as he emphasizes the importance of storytelling set to music.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man

Amy Singh, Anvar Ali, Danish Husain with Saraswati Nagpal

Explore the vibrant intersection of poetry and performance. This session brings together artists who ignite verse with rhythm.

Give me Some Sunshine

Swanand Kirkire with Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri

He is a poet of the screen, crafting lyrics that resonate with the human spirit. Let's understand how Swanand Kirkire brings words to life.

சிறகிசை Siragisai: Freedom in Poetry and Song

Madhan Karky, Sikkil Gurucharan with Akhila Krishnamurthy

A lyricist-poet and a musician reflect on their own personal trysts with the notion of imagination and innovation, and share the some Aha moments that make an artist continue to seek and pursue their art.

Life and Death Poems

Bilal Moin and Devashish Makhija

Two poets explore how words are a vital force for poetry. A compelling conversation on mortality.

Legend और Lore

Amy Singh, Anju Makhija, Manjul Bajaj with Siddhartha Gigoo

Hark!, the timeless wisdom of the subcontinent. Discover the powerful traditions that illuminate the human spirit.

ನಮ್ಮ City कलाकार

Hajeera Khan, Manisha Patil, Parmanand, Rajani Radhakrishnan, Suchi Govindarajan, Zoheb Khan

Join a dynamic collective of Bengaluru's poets as they celebrate the city's rich and varied poetry scene.

Women Sing the Blues

Aishwarya Iyer, Amal Al Sahlawi, Smitha Sehgal, Shirani Rajapakse with K Srilata

Women's voices take center stage, exploring powerful narratives and truths. Discover stories of strength and spirit, expressed with raw honesty.

So That You Know

Mani Rao with Dharini Bhaskar

'So That You Know' is the quintessential Mani Rao collection. These are poems that hold the playful exuberance of youth and the dazzling insight of age; that are at times measured, at times extravagant.

A Geography of Tongues

Ali Al Maazmi, Anvar Ali, Bishnu Mohapatra, Malsawmi Jacob, Shobha Nayak with Manjul Bajaj

Experience the rich tapestry of poetry from diverse linguistic landscapes. Varied expressions bridge worlds, presented with English translations.

Alli Blossoms: Re-Visions of the Classics

K Srilata, Vivek Narayanan with Aishwarya Iyer

Experience the living legacy of India's ancient epics through 'The Footnotes to the Mahabharata' and 'The Kuruntokai and Its Mirror'.

A Performance

Parvathy Baul

Parvathy’s performance work emerges from a long lineage of master Baul singers, dancers, and spiritual teachers. Watch as she mesmerises us with her performance.