The Bombay Poetry Crawl

20th century poetry & Indian cities:

archives, walks, talks

Collaborators

What & Why?

Preserving the legacy of Bombay poets

The Bombay Poetry Crawl (TBPC) is a dedicated archival research space focusing on Bombay poets who wrote about the city from 1947-1999 in various languages including Hindi, Marathi, English, Urdu, Gujarati, Tamil, and more. Our mission is to preserve and celebrate the rich literary heritage of Bombay through the works of these poets.

Exploring diverse linguistic and cultural narratives

TBPC offers seamless integration with different platforms, providing a unique opportunity to explore and experience the linguistic and cultural diversity of Bombay through the lens of poetry, offering a deeper understanding of the city's rich heritage.

"Ye vo sahar to nahin jis ki aarzoo le kar
chale the yaar ki mil jaayegi kahin na kahin"
- Faiz Ahmed Faiz, in 1947 after independence. The disillusionment hit them; the idea of India was far from the reality of it.
Unfortunately too relevant today. We're still under dictatorial occupation. This time, of our own accord.

Here's paying tribute to Dom Moraes, the poet, writer, journalist, on his birth anniversary. With nearly 30 books to his name, Moraes also worked as a foreign correspondent in India, Sri Lanka, Britain and Israel. His writing was influenced by world events like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination, the Biafra Conflict, student revolutions in Dhaka, Mexico, Prague, and more. His interviews and reportage are extremely important to read for how he maintained ethics and fearlessness while writing about political figures. Much needed in this day and age.

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Protest Poetry found today at Freedom Park Bengaluru.

In solidarity with protestors.
An endless night as protests in Delhi & Bundelkhand continue — one for educational reforms and the other against a riverlink project that will hurt indigenous people of MP — without any response from the government, here’s a poem that keeps me company. Sarpa Satra, a booklength poem published in 2004.

As written by Suhit Bombaywalla, “Arun Kolatkar gave the snake sacrifice myth of the Mahabharata a contemporary twist with his haunting long poem Sarpa Satra, the idea of which struck him after a communal riot.”

We continue the fight.

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Day 20 of the CJP Hunger Strike, Day 12 of the Bundelkhand Tribal Hunger Strike; no responses from the government.

The current ongoing protests and hunger strikes being led by people from the MP tribal community, DU students and Sonam Wangchuk, are part of India’s long and varied tradition of protest and resistance. Protests have been part of public dissent, people’s voices and historical movements. Protests were part of anti-imperial, anti-caste, anti-labour movements, and have been important in instituting social change. Protesting is in our blood, in our history. In case anyone tells you otherwise, here are some poems to refer them to (or chant in their faces).

To stand together in this time is the only way. As Sonam Wangchuk says, "I've grown weak from the outside but I'm strong from within”.

Tap the link in bio to read more about the history of protests.

#sonamwangchuk #hungerstrike #neetpaperleak #dharmendrapradhanresign
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Shamim Tariq sahab met me in Byculla, an area in which he’s lived most of his bombay life. We drank chai and talked about his engagements with 1960s poetry in bombay through Mushairas, kavi sammelans, and artistic gatherings. He presented me with his seminal work, a book published by @sahityakademi titled MONASTICISM AND DEVOTION TO GOD: TASAWWUF AUR BHAKTI. An in-depth analysis of spirituality within Sufism and Vedanta’s principles, his book is a fantastic exploration of faith through unity and finding commonalities instead of differences. Isn’t that the most important kind of literature we need in this divisive political age?

Born in Varanasi in 1952, Shamim Tariq is an Indian scholar, columnist and served as the Director of the Karimi Library at Anjuman-E-Islam in Mumbai. In 2015, Tariq was awarded the Sahitya Akademic Urdu Prize for his book, Tasawwuf Aur Bhakti, a philosophical treatise that analyses Sufi principles and Vedanta ideology. In navigating both traditions, he explores the commonalities of peace, justice, compassion and brotherhood that are rife in the two. He is based in Mumbai.

[Urdu, Urdu poetry, poet, bombay poet, shayari, nazm, shamim tariq, Byculla, the bombay poetry crawl, Urdu poet]

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Last week we were meant to read monsoon poems at @atrangi.katta but the horribly ironic storm that hit mumbai violently and left a row of bodies in its wake meant we had to switch to an online format. Which also worked it well, considering we were safe at home. What does rain mean in times of climate change, municipal failure and concretisatiom of cities? It means longer summers, shorter monsoons, and sudden, harsh rainfall that leads to flooding and landslides.

So we do the only thing we know: read what poets had to say and write about it all. And protest. As much as possible.

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Archiving poets from 20th century Indian cities has been a crazy, fulfilling journey that I started in 2020. It would not be possible without all the support I got from friends and writers and readers. But definitely would not have been able to spread the word without the press! So today I want to thank all the journalists and photographers who took the time and effort to write about my work. To give it space and value on the page.

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[Season 2 Episode 3] Dr Rakhshanda Jalil talks about how Progressive Writers Association meetings in Mumbai were frequented by women as well, and how these poets and writers created inviting spaces for women and men to debate, dissent and discuss together.
"This was a faily gender-just space" she says, talking about the communions that took place within literary circles in the 20th century.

You can listen to the full conversation with Dr Jalil by clicking the link in my bio and listening to the full interview — for free on YouTube, Spotify and my website!

@rakhshandajalil

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