100 Thousand Poets for Change

100 Thousand Poets for Change, or 100TPC, is an international grassroots educational organization focusing on the arts, especially poetry, music, and the literary arts. It was founded in 2011 by Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion, and focuses on a world-wide event each September.

In 2012, "100 Thousand Poets for Change Day" will take place on September 29. It is scheduled in coordination with "100 Thousand Musicians for Change Day," a new initiative from 100TPC. Future plans involve raising funds to help poetry, music and other arts organizations world-wide organize peace and sustainability events.

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As part of the 100TPC's September event, in Pune, the multi-talented Dipalle Parmar and Open Space has organised a month-long series of poetry performance, to be held every Saturday evening, in a public venue, which will culminate on September 29, on the day of Ganesh visarjan.

I had the good fortune to attend the first event, on September 1, at Sambhaji Garden on JM Road, not very far from my office. I just dropped by to see what was going on. I write poems, but I don't consider myself a poet anymore. I find the label too hard to carry. Anyway, I was there, I talked to Dipalle and she asked me if I wanted to read something. I said why not. But, I had nothing on me to read from, so I hurried back to office, took a print out of one of my poems, and ran back, and read the poem, titled 'A Prayer for Water'. The audience seemed to like the poem.

Anyway, later I sent the poem to Dipalle and she uploaded it to the 100TPC Pune blog. You can find the poems and other information about the events here.

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The 100TPC blog Here.

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More about 100 Thousand Poets for Change Here.

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The photograph if of the audience at the event. I’m there at the background.