The Art of Poetry in India: An Insider’s Perspective.
OVERVIEW OF POETRY IN INDIA
Being a Poet is an art that many have adopted and mastered. This art has been in our country for centuries. One element that completes the art of Poetry is language, and India, a country of diverse cultures and religions, has approximately one hundred and twenty-one languages. As an Indian Poet, the person has the advantage of knowing multiple heritages and cultures. This helps the Poets to gather a broad audience and dive right through elements of diversity amongst the beautiful cultures.
This art has thrived and evolved in our country. Numerous men and women have carved their names in history and time for being great Poets. The history of Poetry in India is so that no one knows who the first Indian Poet was and where it originated.
Being a Poet in India
Opting for the profession of the Poet in India was and still is not a convenient and safe profession to go for. To be a well-known Poet in our country, a Poet must endure many hurdles. Being a good Poet in India requires skills and a way to present himself. Every path is unique for a Poet; being a Poet is unlike any other profession with a fixed path.
Transforming as a Poet
Being a good Poet shouldn’t only know how to rhyme lines but also a Poet has to have a good command of metaphors and other Poetic devices used to write a poem. Because of being a Poet in India and the diversity in poems, the Poets have to read and understand all kinds of poems written by Poets from different cultures and backgrounds.
Every poem is unique and has a different essence from the Poet it is written. A poem as work is very close to the Poet as it is written straight from the Poet’s heart. The words on the paper the Poet writes are not merely ink but the feelings they want to pour out on the paper.
Not only is a Poet in India but anywhere else in the world, these tips should come in handy for a Poet seeking this art as a profession. One should first write poems constantly and never stop writing a poem; a Poet should take inspiration from everywhere they can. A Poet in India can take elements from society and put them on paper in the form of Poetry. This will give the Poet a comprehensive variety of topics to write for.
India being a host of this art, Poetry for so long its history contains many forms of poems itself. To be a good Poet, one should always study and get inspiration from other forms of Poetry like ballads, free verse, etc.
Today, many courses support and help a person become a Poet in India. The best way to learn more about Poetry is by studying it via books and these courses. It will deeply connect a person with this art and give them leverage over others.
Poet as a Profession
To be a Poet and take it up as a profession, the Poet should know how to monetize his poems and make money from them. To sustain any art form, it has to be monetized, as a Poet will also need to eat to write a poem. Poets have struggled a lot financially and emotionally in India. If we look at the stories of successful Poets in India, most of them have these problems in common. After being famous and a well-known entity in their line of work, they are still struggling financially. When we listen to the stories, many of them were not supported by society and family to take Poetry as a profession as it wasn’t considered one. Many people still don’t think that being a Poet in India can be an autonomous profession. But a lot has changed today, and many Poets have taken the responsibility into their own hands. Poets have burst out from the oppression they were facing and have now put the struggle to an end. The youth has found now found modern solutions to old problems. Many Poets have started their journey on social media platforms like Instagram by making their ages and expressing themselves. Many Poets have gained popularity through these pages. Poets have now started to recite their poems on open mics where they are featured, booked, and compete.
Youtube channels like spill Poetry and unerase Poetry have been set up by Poets who work with cafes and Poets collectively to promote Poetry as a career. Many genres of Poetry and Poets have flourished through these methods and changed and inspired the minds of various people.
Each era has brought a different type of Poet to our country and mastered the form of Poetry. The people have loved them for their style and poems. Be it KABIR, SHRI HARIVANSH RAI BACHAN, RABINDRANATH TAGORE, JAVED AKHTAR, ENA GANGULY. They all have different styles, mediums, and personalities, but the traits they have in the standard are the love for Poetry and the love they get from the people for their Poetry. So I agree that a Poet’s profession may be unconventional, but it is sure fun and worth as hell.
