Buddhadev Dasgupta (front) and Bithi Chattopadhyay

Where does the fountainhead of poetry lie? This has been an eternal quest of poets themselves. At the ‘Kabita-Adda’ organised by Krittibas at Samakaal Art Gallery on August 28, contemporary views from poets like Bithi Chattopadhyay analysed the source of these “powerful emotions”, while for poet-turned-filmmaker Buddhadev Dasgupta, an empathy for what lies beneath the surface — in the dim, subterranean, underwater world of the subconscious — seemed to rock his creative energy. Chattopadhyay’s reading of poems like Banglabhasha, Monkharaper Kotha, Bhoy, Bajar Dar and Kalam spelt out the emotional upheaval engendered in a young mind by the opposite sex. This in itself, claimed the poet, was a creative experience which found expression in poetry.

She was tongue-in-cheek with the influence the opposite sex could have on women poets. “Chheley chhara ashambav” was a central theme of sorts; inspiration and denouncement were but two faces of the same coin. Aami jodi shater kabi hotam was a piece reminiscent of the lonely martyrdom that a handful of women carved out for themselves in the Sixties, pitched against a canvas of creative chauvinism.

Amidst the quest for true poetry, the butchering of the words and sensibilities of a song penned by Tagore — Sarat aalor — should not have been allowed to happen. Especially with veteran Samarendra Sengupta anchoring the events.

Poetry, painting and music — the three combined — gave vent to rare creative energy at the Sauhardya Kabita Utsab organised at the same venue on August 23. The inaugural song by Pubali Debnath, Sraboner dharar moto, set the tone for a downpour of artistic fervour. The essence of pure, poetic music presented in free rhythm stood out in the absence of heavy orchestral support.

An empty canvas inspired painter Suvaprasanna to create a crow in rapid brush strokes. But the poetry came in fits and starts — the programme having initially lost time, and with it much of audience patience. While Sunil Gangopadhyay and Dibyendu Palit shared the same informal creative space with new entrants like Sweta Chakrabarty, better audibility could have enhanced the quality of the presentation.