Hyderabad (Telangana): Every year March 21 is observed as World Poetry Day after UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) decided to celebrate this day on 21 March every year to honour the creative glory of poets and poetry. On the occasion of World Poetry Day, Sabda-Vishwa Kavita festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India and Sahitya Academy.
World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practised throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
As former Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has said, “Poetry is one of the purest expressions of linguistic freedom. It is a component of the identity of people and it embodies the creative energy of culture, for it can be continuously renewed.”
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999. Earlier it was celebrated in October, but in the later part of the 20th century the world community celebrated it on the 15th, the birthday of Virgil, the Roman epic poet and poet laureate under Augustus. The tradition to keep an October date for national or international poetry day celebrations still holds in many countries. The United Kingdom generally uses the first Thursday in October, which in 2018 falls on October 4, but elsewhere a different October, or even sometimes a November date, is celebrated.
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An occasion to honour poets, World Poetry Day revives oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media. The first session held at the General Conference in Paris stated that poetry fulfils unfulfilled aesthetic needs in society. Over the past 20 years, poetry has made a revival and the number of poets have increased. Poets are taking on new roles in society which has incited young people to return to their roots.
An integral part of the recognition of ancestral values and a return to service, poetry provides a platform to individuals for socializing. However, with the up-gradation of technology and modern means of digital communication poetry has lost its essence. Modern media has also failed to take the poets seriously and therefore, action is needed to give poetry its rightful place in society. Hence UNESCO decided to observe March 21st as World Poetry Day to give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poets.
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