Poetry is the music of the soul: Poet Zaman on World Poetry Day at USTM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 21, 2024

Like every year, this year too, World Poetry Day was enthusiastically celebrated at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) here on Thursday. The programme was organized by the Department of English, in association with the Literary Forum and Poetry Consortium. 

Eminent Assamese poet and translator Anis Uz-Zaman graced the occasion as the special guest. A receiver of the prestigious Gangadhar National Award for Poetry 2022 conferred by Sambalpur University, Zaman was accompanied by his wife and distinguished academician Dr Shamim Akhtar. The event was also attended by USTM vice chancellor GD Sharma and advisor Dr RK Sharma. 

Addressing the gathering, Shri Anis Uz-Zaman noted the importance of preserving our folk cultures and their unique expressions, calling poetry “the music of the soul”. 

Evoking the spirits of poets from across the world, Zaman also recited sections from works of eminent poets like Nilmoni Phukon, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Frederico Garcia Lorca and encouraged the students to explore their creativity. 

The welcome address was delivered by Dr Mitali Goswami, the Head of the Department of English. The theme of World Poetry Day this year, which has been declared by UNESCO every year since 1999, was “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” which nods to iconic writers of the past whose trailblazing works enlarged poetry’s footprint across cultures. 

In his speech, Prof GD Sharma spoke about the role of poetry in capturing the complexity of human emotions and also emphasized the importance of translation and the role of technology in developing translation interfaces. 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr RK Sharma recalled his fond college memories with guest Shri Anis Uz-Zaman, who was his college mate, and also recited a few lines from the famous Assamese poem “Dhulikona Moi” written by Chandradhar Baruah. 

As part of World Poetry Day, an intra-university poetry writing competition was also organized along the theme “Nature/Poetry”, the winners of which were also awarded in the event. The prize winners also performed their poems in front of the gathering.