An ode to verse

It may just be one of the most exciting things to happen mid-year in Bengaluru. “The number of people taking to poetry for self-expression is increasing, so I believe there is an audience ready for such a festival,” Subodh says. This will blur the boundaries between the performers and the audience,” Subodh says, adding that having listened to countless poetry readings at Atta Galatta, he has routinely been “blown away by some of the works”. “The timing is right,” Subodh says, “for poetry has taken off in a big way.” Last year, Atta Galatta published an anthology of Hindi poetry that recovered costs within eight months. “I was amazed by the response,” Subodh says, adding that he was just as surprised by the submissions for the poetry competition held ahead of the festival.