Poetry gathering at BIPS

An enchanting cultural evening took place at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's Experimental Theatre Hall on January 31, which hosted the Dhaka International Poets Summit 2018 (DIPS). DIPS began their journey 25 years ago, with the objective of gathering poets and poetry lovers from around the globe under one roof.

International poets including Agnes Meadows from the UK, Tendo Taijin from Japan, Joyce Ashuntantang from the USA, Ibrahim El Masri from Egypt, Miao Yi Tu from Taiwan and Mario Mathor from Colombia presented original poems written in their own languages. Bangladeshi poets who attended the Summit were Aminur Rahman, Asad Chowdhury, Hayat Saif, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Habibullaj Sirajee and Zahidul Huq.

The event set off with an enthralling classical music performance by students of the Classical Music Academy. State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam attended as chief guest, and sent ripples of laughter through the audience when he humorously surmised that he was invited on account of his relatively young age, to be able to repeatedly stand up to hand over awards. He also gave special reverence to Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, whose works enriched and defined our poetic heritage. Poet and organiser of the Summit Aminur Rahman also delivered a welcome address thanking all those who supported the cause.

The literary evening also observed the launching of many poetry books, such as Dhaka Anthology of World Poetry 2018, and Biswo Shera Shamakaleen Shaath Kabir Kobita. The six international poets were awarded with the Kathak Literary Award 2018 for their contributions in literature.