The eighth edition of "The Heart of Shaeri", the annual gathering of well-known poets, musicians and promising students, has witnessed a remarkable turnout this year.
Participants delivered poems in nine languages: Arabic, Malayalam, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Hindi, Urdu and English. The forum saw a fusion of poetry and music.
The recently concluded "Heart of the Poet" in Dubai presented a collection of poems by 13 poets from local and international artists as well as 41 students from various schools in the UAE.
"The 2013 edition of the forum has been launched with the participation of only two students, to witness a growing demand as the course progresses. The number of students participating this year is 41 promising, and we are proud of this achievement," said Suresh Primakumar, Chairman of Soka Jackie International Gulf. "For the past eight years, more than 75 eminent poets and musicians have joined a family (a poetic heart) to be the heart of this event through their inspirational masterpieces and musical pieces."
More than 300 poems from schools across the UAE were presented to the forum. A panel of renowned poets created a final list of 41 poems selected for the forum.
"The forum enhances students' ability to think critically and solve problems, self-exploration and self-awareness," said Saina Khan, head of English at Greenwood International School.
The evenings
This year's edition of the forum included a series of poetry evenings by poets: Barwin Habib, Abdul Hamid Al Qaed (Bahrain), Badmaga Sharma (India), Aurora Humarán (Argentina), Sabrina Lee (Italy), Sajida Moussawi (Iraq) , Hassan Najjar (United Arab Emirates), Mohamed Sabeel (Sudan), Zaina Hashim Bey (Lebanon), Aisha Yulia Abdullah (Russia) and Suleiman Jazeb (Pakistan).
The 2013 version of the forum witnessed the participation of only two students, and with the passage of its courses, the number of students participating this year is 41.