Poets raise voices against war

By A Staff Reporter

Lalitpur,  Feb. 3: It is said that poems spark revolutions. They do not throw stones, light torches, fire guns or wage armed wars. Yet, they prepare the ground for revolution. Poems are ideas. Ideas make people realise the need for change. Gradually, they lay the foundation for revolution, eventually leading to significant change. The words also play a role in ending wars and establishing peace.

Poets gathered at the auditorium of the Little Angels' College in Hattiban on Saturday expressed such sentiments through their poetry. As the Hamas-Israel and Russia-Ukraine conflicts have wreaked havoc on humanity, the poets were present with their poetry against war and voiced their wishes for compassion, love, and peace. However, their plea for peace was not unconditional. They emphasised that peace without justice could not be sustainable.

At the event titled 'Poetry against war' organised by PEN Nepal, Moni Bijay from Biratnagar performed her poem in Hindi, mentioning that conflict is everywhere. She wished for peace for the sake of humanity. Likewise, Sudha Mishra from Janakpur recited her poem in Maithili, wishing the same in a lyrical sweetness. PEN Nepal general secretary Mitra Bandhu Poudel and poet from Lamjung Lal Bahadur Bhujel presented their poems in English while others recited in Nepali.

Bhisma Upreti, president of PEN Nepal, presented his poem titled 'Aashaharu Ajhai Jibit Chhan' (Hopes are still alive), claiming that the hopes are the greatest gift of God presented to human beings. "If someone boasts of being victorious by destroying everything, that is the worst loss," said Upreti, addressing the ceremony.

Sneh Saymi presented a poignant account of a lady Maoist warrior in his poem while senior poet Manjul, Rami Priya, Shree Ram Singh Basnyat, Keshab Sigdel, Chhabiraman Silwal, Tanka Upreti, Rupsingh Bhandary, Bishwa Sigdel, Siromani Dawadi, Sivas Gahatraj, Ram Kumar Pandey, Damodar Pudasaini, Laxmi Mali, Avaya Shrestha, Susmita Nepal, Diwas Barakoti, Sushma Chitrakar, Hiranya Kumari Pathak and others voiced the timeless power of words to elevate love, compassion and peace, presenting a miscellaneous array of emotions, reflections.

Essayist Mukunda Raj Sharma commented on the poems recited there. Similarly, Mitra Bandhu Poudel presented an account of the destructions of different wars, quoting a poem titled 'Defeat' by Khalil Gibran.