The APOGEE English Press (AEP) sat down with Suprit S. Jahagirdar, the Coordinator for the Poetry Club, to gain an understanding of their preparations for the upcoming fest.

Suprit shared that the Poetry Club is one of the only literature-related clubs on campus. Apart from fest work, the members gathered for reading sessions where they shared their pieces and received feedback. He also highlighted PoLS, or Poetry and Literature Sessions, where members of the club volunteer to share knowledge on the titular subjects. He chose to highlight Shaam-e-Sukhan, a pre-APOGEE qawwali night to the student body, conducted in collaboration with Music Club or Ragmalika. 

When asked about the general student body’s interest in poetry, he stated that when done right, poetry is appreciated on campus. He gave the example of Qaafiya, an open mic conducted in the previous semester, and earlier this semester as part of the Basant Book Festival, which enjoyed a great degree of participation from students across batches. 

He informed that the club would be conducting two events this APOGEE: Conspiring Minds and Poetry Slam. Conspiring Minds is a multi-round event featuring a variety of carnival games in the first round, and a Pictionary-cum-quiz event in the second round. Poetry Slam, on the other hand, is a showcase of slam-based poetry, where famous poets from the country would perform, interspersed by performances by club members.

When questioned about the place poetry has in a technical fest, Suprit said that ‘poetry and literature are technical arts, there being many technicalities such as meter, grammar, and obviously the way you structure a particular piece of literature’, and that things like coding aren’t the only technical subjects out there. 

On a parting note, he urged the student body to attend both events and also to try and interact with literature in their daily lives, stating that ‘the world of literature and poetry is a good one and it’s a very colourful world.’