Narmada, Gujarat •
Mar 17, 2024
‘Poetry makes nothing happen’, not if you stop listening
A poem in Dehwali Bhili warns us about the dangers of distancing ourselves from poetry at a time when the world is in need of light and love
Author
Jitendra Vasava
Jitendra Vasava is a poet from Mahupada village in Narmada district of Gujarat, who writes in Dehwali Bhili language. He is the founder president of Adivasi Sahitya Academy (2014), and an editor of Lakhara, a poetry magazine dedicated to tribal voices. He has also published four books on Adivasi oral literature. His doctoral research focused on the cultural and mythological aspects of oral folk tales of the Bhils of Narmada district. The poems by him published on PARI are from his upcoming and first collection of poetry.
Illustration
Manita Oraon
Manita Oraon is a Jharkhand based artist, working with sculptures and paintings on issues of social and cultural importance to Adivasi communities.
Editor
Pratishtha Pandya
Pratishtha Pandya is a Senior Editor at PARI where she leads PARI's creative writing section. She is also a member of the PARIBhasha team and translates and edits stories in Gujarati. Pratishtha is a published poet working in Gujarati and English.
