The Readings/Recitations panel at the lawn saw eminent poet Kamal Chowdhury, Annie Zaidi, and Rupert Dastur join Sabrina Fatma Ahmad to recite their poetic and fictional works.
The panel started with a discussion that encompassed their works, craftsmanship and views on different aspects of literature.
Kamal Chowdhury, currently serving as the principal secretary to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, said that poetry has changed over time in parallel to socio-political changes in Bangladesh.
Talking about the necessity to have a structure in mind to produce a work of art, poet and writer Annie Zaidi said that she usually does not keep any format in mind and instead lets the progression of her work go by itself. She also added that the experiences of her life and work in different sectors have serious effects on her creative works, especially on her poems.
Agreeing with Annie to the same question, Rupert Dastur, poet and director of Cambridge Short Story Prize opined that “short stories are perfect for modern age.”
After the discussion part of the session, Ahmad requested them to read from their works. At first, Kamal Chowdhury recited four Bangla poems of his, along with their translated versions while Rupert read two of his flash fictions, followed by Annie who recited two of her poems.
