Spoken word power

Yengkhom Mobika Maring, a young poet from Shillong currently based in Bangalore, is introducing Slam Poetry, an event that is popular in metro cities, to the North East, especially in the hill city. A literature lecturer in Bangalore, Mobika has a deep association with the art of poetry, particularly ‘Spoken Word’.
A post-graduate in English Literature from St Joseph’s College in Bangalore, and an English Lecturer at Baldwin’s College, Bangalore, Maring was exposed to many poetic ideas and inspirations but finally chose the new-age expression. During one of her performances (one can watch her performances on YouTube) in the city, Mobika found some time to tell Sanchita Paul what Slam Poetry is all about and how it is catching up with the youth in this region.

What does it feel to be an upcoming Slam Poet?
I don’t know if I’m upcoming but I have just been observing the poetry scene in Bangalore since I am based there. So I have just been observing for a while. I also participate from time to time.

What is Slam Poetry?
The art form is called Spoken Word, and it is like any other form of poetry but the only difference is that when somebody writes spoken word, they have an
audience in mind. It is supposed to be read out. So they keep that in mind that their poetry has an audience and he/she writes accordingly.
How will you, who have a literature background, describe your relationship with Spoken Word?
I did my Post-Graduation in English Literature but I think if you ask about my relationship with Spoken Word, ss part of my master’s programme, I produced a dissertation on “Sexual Identity through Spoken Word Poetry- A Study of Spoken Word performances by queer poets”. For my research, I got a lot of information about it. I think I was consumed by this form of art.

Is this popular in the North East like in other cities or is it a new concept getting introduced here?
I followed Dylan’s Café’s page on Instagram and I saw that they had open-mic on weekdays where it was written poetry and music. I was very interested and I went there out of curiosity. I met a Spoken Word poet from Pune and he started performing Spoken Word and I was very surprised as before that, I had never heard of Spoken Word or Slam Poetry in Shillong. So yes, it is a new concept slowly gaining momentum.

How did you get introduced to Slam Poetry or Spoken Word?
I was just going through the syllabus and curriculum that students of Literature have in the UK and they have a paper on Spoken Word. I was really curious about that and I looked up and it started from there. I started browsing one video to the other on YouTube and before I knew it, I fell in love with it.
I was introduced to Spoken Word poetry about four years ago. I have competed in various poetry slams and worked on various projects alongside other spoken word poets.

What are the issues or topics you talk about in your poetry?
Well, that is different for different people because a lot of people use Spoken Word to raise many issues. Talking about my personal poems, I don’t know if I try to follow a certain theme, I just try to tell stories about myself, about people I see or the people I have come across; these are the stories I try to tell through my poems.

Have you performed in any event or competition?
I have performed in various bars and cafes in Bangalore where they have these small poetry slams. Actually I started with my own slam in my college, St Joseph’s. It was my first time and I won, which was a huge encouragement for me to pursue this.

Do you consider yourself as a poet or a performer?
I am not a poet. I’m a poetry enthusiast and I love the art of storytelling. I have been writing poems for as long as I can remember. My medium alternates between print and performance. Sometimes, my best written poem fails terribly as a Spoken Word piece and vice versa. The content and its poetic aspect are of utmost importance and I would never compensate it for the sake of the medium I choose.

Is the Slam Poetry genre killing the real essence of poetry?
Spoken Word poetry is not an avant garde art form that is trying to replace traditional poetry by drawing the mass and having good online presence. Its history goes way back to jazz music, to Harlem Renaissance, to beatnik culture and the oral tradition of reciting poetry itself.
Spoken Word poetry can be liberating in terms of structure and language. But, it can also be restricting in terms of the kind of open interpretation that written poetry offers.
It is only when one dismisses the poetic aspect altogether and tries to pass a rant or create content just for the shock factor that really kills the essence of poetry in any language or form. Poetry only suffers because of bad poets. So, whether it be verbal or written, poetry is poetry, its essence cannot be killed by your choice of the medium.

Is it gaining momentum in other parts of the country?
Yes definitely. In Bangalore it is quite popular and in Pune it goes way back. Spoken Word communities are in various cities in India. If you go to YouTube, you will find Delhi Poetry Slams, Bangalore Poetry Slams, etc. In all these different cities, so many types of poetry communities are emerging.
In terms of visibility and recognition, Spoken Word poetry is flourishing in various cities across the country. Nevertheless, it is yet to be as recognised in small towns like ours or the entire northeastern region. I haven’t come across a Spoken Word poet in Shillong yet.