CHENNAI: For the past year and a half in lockdown, the members of Project Prodets have been meeting virtually, for every rhyme and reason. Rhyme, because it is the medium of choice for these aspiring poets. Reason because it helps them cope, share thoughts, speak out or just showcase their talent, especially during the pandemic.
“There are several open mics for stand-up comedy, but I found there were hardly any for poetry,” says Poornima Mohan, a graduate from Hindustan University, and cofounder of Project Prodets. Before the months-long lockdown, Poornima says they hosted several events including a poetry slam but over the past year, moved their open mics and workshops online.
“We have more than 150 in the club from school students to the over-60s, all of them showcasing original work,” she adds.
There are in fact a handful of collectives in Chennai taking poetry into the virtual space. A little over a year ago, for instance, IT professional Padmavathi M, founded Deleted Drafts, a platform for aspiring poets and storytellers, especially those who create work in Tamil. “There are several online platforms for English and Hindi poets, but hardly any for those who write Tamil poetry. Here, we upload the work on our Youtube channel as well as host an open mic every month,” she says.
At the ‘House of T’, virtual poetry and music open mics — the lockdown sessions as they are called — are hosted every Sunday. “The shows are ticketed and we feature four aspiring musicians and poets,” says cofounder Thomas Davis. “We’ve had several themes in the past year from Covid-19 to mental stress as well as issues faced at home to politics.”
College student R Aaliyah Banu says the pandemic influenced the poetry she wrote and presented at open mics over the past year. “At the beginning of the lockdown last year, I found the privileged complaining about having to stay indoors, not even once considering the thousands outside who had no way of reaching their homes. That inspired one of my poems,” she says.
Class 10 student and aspiring poet Neha Leen Wilson says her work is about her personal journey, especially during the pandemic.
“I did some poems on my experience with depression,” says Neha, who participates in the Project Prodets open mics. “No one else in my family writes so this community is also helping me grow as a poet.”
