Well versed in satire

Hindi poets to make Dubai laugh and think tonight

Satire should provoke thought and not hurt, said one of India's best known satirists and humorous poets yesterday, stressing that a satirist should never think negatively or be frustrated.

"Negative thinking destroys a country, a community, a family. Positive thinking encourages growth and development. We should glamorise positive thinkers and neglect negative forces," said Surendra Sharma, the much-awarded poet famous for his crisp and witty "four-liners".

Sharma is leading a group of four well-known poets and two lyricists who will perform tonight at the Emirates Auditorium of the Crowne Plaza Dubai. The others are Pradeep Chaubey, Aash Karan Atal, Manik Verma, Sita Rathore and Mamta Jodha.

The Haasya Kavi Sammelan (roughly translated as a gathering of humorous poets) is being brought to Dubai by Pratibimb, a local drama group with over 50 members.

"We are not going to provide mere entertainment. We will give you entertainment with education," Sharma told reporters yesterday. "You will not only be laughing when you leave; you will be laughing and thinking. We will wake you up."

The poets will talk about current circumstances and human affairs. "We will laugh at ourselves, but not at others. Because we can get away with laughing at ourselves but if we laugh at others, they will come after us with slippers," said Sharma.

The poets always respect the country they are speaking in and also uphold the values of their own country, he said, adding poets are "literary ambassadors".

By addressing a gathering in Hindi, the poets promote the use of India's national language, whether in or outside India. Hindi is losing its influence, they said, but felt all hope was not yet lost for the rich language.

"Hindi does not fill stomachs. That is why less and less people are learning Hindi," said Sharma, bluntly. "Hindi may be the language of knowledge, but it is not the language of science. That is why we don't teach our children Hindi. It is good to learn a foreign language, but it is not good to surrender your culture and tradition."

The other poets more or less agreed.
"We have organised this gathering precisely because we want to promote Hindi and encourage its use," said Mehboob Al Hassan Rizvi, founder-director, Pratibimb.

"Very few Indian children here speak Hindi at home. Very few have even heard of such a famous poet as Surendra Sharma. We want to bring them an event that is integral to our culture."

The main sponsor of the show is Petrochem Middle East. Doors open at 8.00pm. The poetry session starts at 9.15pm and lasts for around two and a half hours. Bharatbhai Shah, prominent Indian businessman and social worker based in Dubai, will introduce the poets and compere the gathering.

Tickets are priced at Dh80 and Dh60. They are available from the hotel's box office.