A compelling showcase of 12 original poems by the Tamil spoken word poetry group Kavipperukku brought to life everyday themes, from chairs and mobile phones to buses and human emotions.
Performed on April 3 at the Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre as part of the Tamil Language Festival 2026, the poems were showcased through voice, music, and emotions to an audience of 520.
A total of 33 individuals took part, with the majority of them being students. Performances included original works by four school students and were delivered with strong emotional expression rather than mere recitation. The addition of live music deepened each performance.
“Our aim is to simplify poetry. When we present poetry in a way that is easy to understand and combine it with music, people can truly enjoy it,” said the Kavipperukku’s founder and coordinator Rajesh Kumar Dharmalingam.
The poem “Who is Bharathi?”, written by Mr Rajesh, and another piece, “The Phone speaks”, humorously depicting how modern humans, despite being made up of billions of cells, are trapped within a single “cell” (mobile phone), by Mr Nadhinesan Ganesh, were some highlights of the evening.
Among the audience was 52-year-old Venkatesan Karthik, who hailed the poem “The Phone Speaks” as his favourite segment of the evening. He noted that its humorous yet reflective portrayal of people’s dependence on technology struck a chord with many viewers and received widespread appreciation.
Kavipperukku is a spoken-word poetry initiative that brings classical Tamil literature to life through emotionally rich performances. It continues to captivate audiences by blending tradition and modernity, drawing on Sangam-era works like Silappathikaram and classical poetry anthologies, and turning them into modern spoken-word performances that resonate with contemporary audiences.
What began as a small initiative three years ago has now grown and is attracting youth participation.
Ms Vishruta Nandakumar, 20, who performed the poem “Who is Bharathi?” and both wrote and performed the poem “Emotions”, noted that with every show, the number of youth participants has been increasing.
“By presenting Tamil poetry in a simplified and accessible form, Kavipperukku enables young students to connect more easily with Tamil literature, thereby sparking a deeper interest in the language,” she said.
Victoria School student Chiren Krishna Murugan, one of the performers, shared that his poem was inspired by simple observations from his daily bus journeys. He also expressed hope that seeing students like him perform on stage would inspire other students to participate in such events in the future.
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13 Nov 2025 20:04
