Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 7: Recitation is one sure-shot way to attract and encourage budding poets. Taking this belief into consideration, Buxi Jagabandhu Sahitya Sansad, a cultural body that promotes Oriya among the teachers, students and parents of the BJEM school, organised a spring fest titled ‘Faguna Kabita Asara’, a poetry recitation programme, on the school premises Saturday to promote Oriya language among the school teachers.
Around 30 staff members, including teachers of the school, came up with poems written by them on variety of themes and recited those during the programme. Their composition were based on the current issues of the state such as, chit fund scam, swine flu, jaundice and felling of trees in the city.
One of the poets Saswati Mohapatra, presented a poem titled ‘Ferar Faguna’ (Missing Spring) where she lamented how the people of city were missing the beauty of spring as the state administration went on felling trees for the sake of ‘development’.
Another poet Laxmidhar Sahu, through his poem ‘Be Aware’ warned the people of the state of the sufferings caused by diseases such as jaundice, swine flu as also by environmental degradation.
Eminent writer Debasish Patra, who was present as the chief guest, added colour to the programme by reciting different poems that depicted the beauty of the spring season. He also read some other poems written during his college days.
“I started writing in 1984. Some problems pulled me away from composing any rhymes. However, after 20 years I went back to my passion and composed a poem ‘Hai Iswara Mu Feruchhi Kabitare’ (Oh! God, I am returning to poems). I hope people will like it,” said Patra.
School principal Jugal Kishore Mohanty appreciated the composition skills of the teachers. “Such poetry recitation programme would encourage the teachers. They have skills of composing poems but they generally hid those within due to lack of platform. Therefore, Sahitya Sansad took this initiative to give them an opportunity to open up,” he said.
“School management has planned to hold such programmes in the upcoming days in order to provide opportunity to the locals, students and even teachers of other schools,” said Mohanty.
