Attend this cultural festival celebrating Mumbai through poetry at Asiatic library

Danish Husain. Pic/Sahil Sachdeva and Mustansir Dalvi

Jashn-e-dastaan-e-Mumbai, the annual cultural festival organised by the Mumbai Research Centre of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, is back after a brief hiatus. In the 2023 offering, they are celebrating the city's vivid street life with a month of walks, talks and workshops, all culminating in a poetic tribute on the steps of the Asiatic Library at Horniman Circle.

Curated by architect, poet and professor Mustansir Dalvi, seven poets will recite their verse in Hindi, English, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu and Bengali. Dalvi, who lives in New Panvel, has spent most of his time in Fort, attending college and now working there. His poetry will have anecdotes of how the city flows through him. "I write in two trajectories," he says, "one where the city is what it is today as one moves through its streets. The other is where I write about the city in history charting the various ways it came to be." Landmarks such as Horniman circle, Harbour Line even the infamous Mumbai monsoon and harsh summer make their way into his verses, bringing back bitter-sweet memories. Speaking about the poets in attendance that evening, Dalvi says, "These are some of the most talented poets from our city, and I have followed and loved their work for a while now."

Those offering their works aloud include art theorist and curator Ranjit Hoskote, Jane Bhandari, whose poems are in English, author Sampurna Chattarji's verses in Bengali and English; co-founder of Paperwalla Publishing Hemant Divate will celebrate the city in Marathi, documentary filmmaker Prabodh Parikh will present in Gujarati, and actor-director Danish Husain in Urdu. "Every poet sees his city through a different lens," says Husain. "Sometimes, it is not even the physical structure, but what it represents that strikes a cord. It would be interesting to see how unique each poem is and still paying homage to the same city. But most importantly, being able to celebrate the city amidst its people is what makes me ecstatic."

During the event, Dalvi will also release his book of poetry, Walk. He wrote these in 2020, when the city was under lockdown and migrant workers were walking back home to their villages and towns. The poems were originally written in English and have been translated into Hindi by Dalvi himself, into Marathi by Hemant Divate, and Gujarati by Udayan Thakker.

When: January 29, 5 AM to 7 PM
Where: Town Hall , Asiatic Society of Mumbai