“We all write poems; it is simply that poets are the ones who write in words.” – John Fowles
One of the oldest and most wonderful forms of literature is poetry. It has persisted for centuries because the fascinating expressions and words of the poetry were the best pathways to keep the creativity and language of the humans alive with its charm. With time, the history of literature with a prominent role of poetry also convinced the whole world to celebrate World Poetry Day. And now every year we celebrate World Poetry Day on 21 March because poetry is one of our most treasured forms of literary expression. The UNESCO adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day at a General Conference in Paris, with a noble concept of promoting the writing, reading, publishing of poetry across the world. It was also aimed to support the linguistic diversity in the world through poetry and expand the opportunities for different languages to be heard.
Throughout history, the poetic expressions of humans had become an opportunity to appreciate the power of literature and how it can capture the innovative energy of human minds. For many eras, poetry has fitted as a terrific motivator of multiple revolutions as well. It has also enriched the minds of people with knowledge and creativity. Different extraordinary poets like the Shakespeare of England, Walt Witman of America, Mehmet Asif Ersoy of Turkey, Rabindranath Tagore of India, and many others became the literary representatives of distinct topics and writings through their poetry. In India, the subject of poetry has always been part of a prolonged and prosperous history. And due to the diverse essence of India, poetry has been composed in Sanskrit, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, English, and numerous other languages. Indian poets have been writing incredibly in different genres, and there have been world-renowned Indian poets like Kamala Das, Sri Aurobindo Ghosh, Arun Kolatkar, Nissim Ezekiel, and many others who have stood out on the global platforms of poetry with their incredible poetic mastery.
Poetry will always be an essential aspect of literature around the world. It is a great way for people to express their views and emotions. As poetry is often rich with varied languages and poetic elements, it introduces the new rhythms and inventive aspects of literature. And this is precisely why celebrating the true essence of poetry on this World Poetry Day is particularly significant.
World Poetry Day is a perfect day to encourage poetry writing practices, support small publishers of poetry, and portray an attractive vision of poetry in front of the world. To initiate celebrating World Poetry Day, there are multiple things one can do like including poetry readings of any favourite genres in the daily routine, sharing experiences of poetry with family and friends, looking up some good poetry recommendations, or why not have a go at writing your own poetry as well? We at team People’s Reflections have also organized a Poetry Writing Competition for our readers. Thus, to celebrate World Poetry Day, we also invite you to express your thoughts exclusively and extensively on the theme of Poetry.
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