Poetry breaking language barriers
Lahe Lahe, or “slowly slowly” in English, is a venue in Bangalore that is a safe space welcome to anyone seeking refuge to express themselves. Along with Write Out Loud, a weekly spoken word poetry event, Lahe Lahe is home to other forms of expression like yoga classes, music jams, and women’s empowerment sessions.
The space is an open loft on the 4th floor rooftop of a cement building and, upon entering, you are greeted with a sign stating “Leave your shoes, and your egos, at the door” which instantaneously communicates how sacred this spot is viewed. Walls are adorned with eclectic art, books are tied to repurposed phone chords and dangle from the ceiling, while lantern style light fixtures sway in the breeze. An untamed garden grows on the patio, however, the concept of indoor and outdoor is unclear- you don’t know where one ends and the other begins. Beyond the greenery, the city’s skyline creates geometric shape in the distance.
Writing Out Loud, founded in November 2015, embodies the open and unrestricted layout of Lahe Lahe’s venue. Poets and poem lovers alike sit barefoot on mats and bean bags in a wide circle. After introducing themselves, individuals volunteer to read their work or selected pieces from adored poets.
“I’m rediscovering myself through writing,” says Aresu, 35, a regular Write Out Loud member.
Write Out Loud welcomes poems in all languages. Although a majority of the poets read in English, many poets shared their work in their native languages like Kannada, Hindi, Malayalan, and Portguese. Together, the poets and the audience collabortate to translate or summarize poems into English to ensure everyone gets to experience the work of art.
In the video clip, a poet recites a Hindi poem. He sits cross-legged beside a local student and a traveler from Brazil. First he introduces the poem and, once he is finished, he offers a short glimpse of its concept in English, a challenging task because there often aren’t direct translations. The group works together to relate the poems in a way that best captures its ideas. This particular poem expresses the complexities of forgiveness. “I’ve forgotten why I’m mad at you, but all I can remember is how angry I am at you,” he explains. Everyone in the circle giggles. “I couldn’t recognize your face in a crowd, but what I do know for sure is that I’m still angry,” he adds.
Prior to attending Write Out Loud, I believed performance art was one of the only expressions that was able to break language barriers. This may have manifested from a personal bias because I am a dancer or from the Bollywood film that lacked English subtitles that I watched during my flight to Bangalore. It’s clear to me now that despite poetry’s relience on word and language, people from every culture can enjoy this art form when there is a community rooted in inclusivity.


