The Poetic Heart:13th year ended with captivating students and esteemed poets poetry

Over the past 13 years, this unique annual poetry event The Poetic heart dedicated to fostering peace, harmony, and universal love has welcomed 125 renowned poets, 30 musicians, and more than 250 budding student poets, crafting an unparalleled experience.

Dubai: The annual poetry symposium ‘The Poetic Heart – Connecting Humanity,’ is an initiative led by SGI Gulf and distinguished Emirati poet Dr. Shihab Ghanem. This distinct platform, fostering poetry, music, and youthful energy, unites renowned UAE and international poets, talented student poets from schools across the UAE, and ‘People of Determination.

This year’s Poetic Heart themed “Building a sustainable future, together” was held in collaboration with Emirates NBD’s CSR initiative,” Together Limitless” , a platform that advocates for people of determination. The occasion featured captivating rhythmic poetry and music presented by 40 student poets, a number of music performers, as well as performances by people of determination and 9 distinguished poets from the UAE and internationally.

Idris Mears, Project Leader at Alserkal Cultural Foundation, shares his poems “The Full Moon” and “We are Moons,” inspired by Islamic teachings and the life of Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

In an interview with The Brew News, Idris described his creative process as deeply personal, often unlocking images from his mind. His poem about Prophet Muhammad PBUH draws parallels with the lunar cycle, reflecting on darkness, waxing, and eventual brilliance akin to the full moon. He aims to create a connection with readers through his work.

Regarding the impact of AI like Chat GPT on poetry, he expressed concern about its ability to evoke genuine emotions. He noted a shift in the younger generation’s focus, observing their engagement with issues like the environment and sustainability in their poetry, which he finds encouraging – he added.

Additionally, SGI Gulf’s chorus group, “Naseem,” delivered a delightful and melodious performance that touched the hearts of the audience. The event was attended by 39 schools including Universal American School, Sharjah American International School, GEMS Millennium School Sharjah, Gems Winchester Abu Dhabi, Emirates International Schools – Meadows, ADIS Muroor – Girls School, Far Eastern Private school, Al Ghad Charter School, Manor Hall School Al Ain, Gems Modern Academy, The Westminster
School, Pristine Private School, Far Eastern Private school, among others.

The event witnessed poetry, performances, and participation from students of determination centers such
as Manzil Centre, SNF Development Centre and Al Noor Center. During the event, school students had the opportunity to listen to poetry recitations in six languages by renowned poets such as Heba Al-Faqi, Idris Mears, Dr. Hasseena Begum, Nizar Abu Nasser, Dr. Qais Ghanem, Dr. Shihab Ghanem, Dr. Padmaja Sharma and Silvana Salmanpour whose poems were emoted by Pegah Javadpour. Additionally, Dr. Tomoko Kikuchi recited poems written by the late Dr. Daisaku Ikeda (1928 – 2023) a Japanese Buddhist philosopher, poet, educator, author, and nuclear disarmament advocate, who is also the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International.

The event also witnessed mesmerizing musical performances by Mandeera Ranthini Kosgahakumbura and Hiba Al Sharaa. H.E. Mohammed Al Murr, Chairman of Mohammed bin Rashid Library and Ammar Al Malik, executive VP of Tecom group graced the event as Chief Guests. Naomi Mathias & Rebecca Mathias students of determination from Al Noor Center shared “Feeling good. Poetic Heart was great.It is our first time. Poetry was awesome. Yes we will come back again.”

Abhinav, a drummer from The Winchester School, described his experience performing at the Poetic Heart stage as wonderful. He expressed delight in experimenting with a fusion of drums, guitar, keyboard, and traditional folk instruments. Under the guidance of their instructor, the band strives to offer fresh experiences to the audience. Abhinav was pleased to see the audience appreciating their efforts.

Bryce Liam, student from Gems Winchester Abu Dhabi said “I wanted to show people how nature was taking care of us. It is my second time. Came with my friend last year. It was amazing. Looking forward to coming next year. Sustainability is very important in the UAE. Want to make it a better place and I want to play a part in it.”

Talking about the event Dr. Qais Ghanem said “We moved from Canada to here. It’s a great pleasure for me to come here to be together with my brother Shihab and we both are poets. Our father was the top poet in the Arabian community. Mohammed Abdul Ghanem. He was the first ever university graduate. By living in the same house and reading his books and poetry, he imbibed poetry into us. I am a neurologist and all the brothers are poets and one of them plays the flute. When we were younger, everyone competed and they wanted to reach a certain level. But we want each of us to succeed and we want children to be much better than you. I want to thank Poetic Heart (PH), we have been involved and contributed to PH, we feel it’s important and we enjoy it so much.”

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Continuing the tradition of book launches every year, this year “Taj Mahal and other poems”, a translation of compilation of poems from Dr. Shihab Ghanem’s book “Waves” by Dr. Padmaja Sharma and Shweta Sharma was launched at the event. The book explores the themes of global humanity, love and brotherhood. Dr Padmja Sharma, Ms. Shweta Sharma accompanied by Dr. Shihab Ghanem, Suresh Premkumar and Kulbhushan Vyas joined on stage for the book launch event.