MANIPAL: Goonj, the Hindi Literary Society of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), organised the third edition of Shaam-e-Dastaan, an open mic event, on April 15 at the Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS).
The evening saw a series of talented and entertaining performances of slam poetry, music, storytelling and more. Opinions, experiences and bittersweet incidents were recalled and expressed mostly in the form of spoken words. Centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Pulwama attacks and its consequences, and patriotism, on the whole, were some of the hard-hitting topics that were sensitively put into words by students from Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC), and MCOPS.
On a lighter note, the poets performed a variety of beautiful pieces on love, family and friends. The open mic also saw several first-time performers who came forward with their writing and were immensely appreciated by the encouraging audience. “There is so much talent among the students in Manipal and this is an amazing platform for penned down words to be showcased. This is my first time at such an event and definitely would love to be a part of more of these,” said Savitha Shastri, a senior citizen who also read out poems by Abhinav Grover, a former MIT student.
Music added a soothing touch to the evening with renditions of old Hindi songs by the students. Saade Paanch, a group of four MIT students sang with a percussion, proving the saying that songs are also poems in a different tone.
“Goonj is a club which focuses on providing encouragement to art and writing in Hindi. Prior to this third edition, Daastan-e-Ishq took place. We have gatherings and events like this on various occasions like Independence Day, Hindi Divas, and so on. It is for people to express their feelings and put out all that they have to say through our medium. Such open mics also help artists to overcome their stage fright and be confident about their talent,” articulated Rahul Singh, the President of Goonj.
The organisers concluded the evening by promoting their online contest, Lafz-e-Kalam, which aims to promote and appreciate the best of poetry and writing in Hindi.
Featured Image Courtesy: Annwesha Shyam
