On 4/25/19 I was in a show at ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) Kolkata performing selections from Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel-winning “Gitanjali” poetry collection in English while my counterpart Indrani Majumder performed them in Bengali. I ended with a selection from 19th century US poet Walt Whitman‘s “Song of Myself” as it always reminds me of Tagore. Their shared search for the divine in the everyday seems to make them a perfect pairing. Above is a short excerpt from the show.
Tag: walt whitman
East & West Poetry Performance This Thursday in Kolkata
This Thursday, April 25th at 6pm IST I’ll be performing in the East & West poetry reading with Kolkata performance artist Indrani Majumder. I’ll be reading some selections from Rabindranath Tagore’s 1912 Nobel-winning collection “Gitanjali” in English as a counter to Indrani performing the same poems in Bengali. Gitanjali’s central theme in this collection of largely pastoral poems is devotion, or as Tagore puts it in one of his verses, “I am here to sing thee songs”.
When I first read “Gitanjali” years ago it immediately brought Walt Whitman’s late 19th century “Song of Myself” to mind in its sensual appreciation for life and its seeking of the divine in nature. I love this epic poem so much that I keep a small pocket edition in my camping gear and always take it with me backpacking or camping, and make a point of spending a few minutes alone in the forest reading it; a tradition I hope to impart to my son. That said, I’ll be concluding my portion of the evening by reading a selection from “Song of Myself.”
We’re part of a larger evening lineup and the event is free.
Location:
ICCR Kolkata (Indian Council for Cultural Relations)
9A Ho Chi Minh Sarani just opposite the US Consulate
But wait, there’s more…
Double-feature on 3/26. After my lecture I’ll be part of a livestreamed poetry reading featuring, and produced by, pro Kolkata performer of Rabindra kobita (poems by Rabindranath Tagore spoken in Bengali) Indrani Majumdar. I’ll be reading some Tagore in English along with some Walt Whitman.
