22nd July 2007...The Ghetto

Dear Slammers, Non-slammers, and Slammer-wannabes...

Please allow me to extend my most heartfelt thanks to all those who came out for the slam last sunday and made it the most rocking event event ever in no license yet slam history for those of you who missed it, let me give you a minor capsule -

We had 14 poets - 14!!! - including one Swedish one - our token international representative putting us on the global slam-map (thank you Johann! who chose to recite in English much to our multilingually expressed disappointment).

4 of the 14 - including the highly popular Vishal and Vivek - were super-studs who signed up on the spot! We also had the very sporting and talented Alfred who came up from the audience during open mike between rounds - let's hear it for Alfie!!!

Adding to the jazz of the evening was our favourite saxophonist - Woody!!!who ushered in the poets and the alcoholics with his sultry sax melodies... getting us all into the mood before the poetry kicked off...Woody we're never letting you go back to New Zealand now...

Adding to the graffiti of the ghetto's decor were some memorable performances by the perennial, published sort of poet (Jane Bhandari, Arvind Tiwari, Indrayanee etc) and some debutantes - (Atul Paranjpe, Mrinalini Harchandrai etc.)...

Atul - who claims words are not his medium - won over everyone with his 'Itne Saare Bachhe'! Well done!

Some - like Kumar Gautam - sang it out! Others - like Indrayanee, Mrinalini and Pallavi - performed in more muted, melted tones...Pallavi performed in spite of a sore throat! Trooper...

Abhigyan, Rohinton, Jane, Mrin, Indrayanee performed in English, while Atul, Arvind, Vishal and Gautam performed in Hindi..

Imam - who laid it out for Amitabh Bachhan...Big B-ji! - performed in hinglish and walked away with the Grand Slam Title... (the judges were all from the audience! No expert panels here...just an honest response to what was heard, seen and felt...)

I performed as well (the less said the better. My dear friend Parvinder recorded all the incriminating evidence on handicam (any bidders?)

Keep Slamming!!!

Shivani Tibrewala
Artistic Director
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