Earlier this year, in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris and the growing attacks on free expression, Aina Singh, a literature student at Delhi's St Stephen's College, composed a piece to perform at an audition of the Delhi Slam Poetry group. It had a simple title: Censorship Vs Free Speech.
"I tried to be inclusive and touch upon all kinds of freedom throughout the poem, ending with emphasis upon the fact that those who are courageous enough to raise their voices against ill-acquired power, are victorious at the end of the day," she told Scroll.in in an email message.
"When I performed it at a cafe as part of the audition, there were many young poets in the audience, and everyone was very appreciative," she said. "I have, since then, performed this piece at a few more events, including at a workshop in Miranda House where students from different colleges had gathered and really seemed to identify with my angst."
Delhi Poetry Slam on Tuesday uploaded a video of Singh performing the piece on YouTube, "since the topic continues to remain important, and battle lines, in the struggle to express freely, are redrawn with each incident", she said.
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"I tried to be inclusive and touch upon all kinds of freedom throughout the poem, ending with emphasis upon the fact that those who are courageous enough to raise their voices against ill-acquired power, are victorious at the end of the day," she told Scroll.in in an email message.
"When I performed it at a cafe as part of the audition, there were many young poets in the audience, and everyone was very appreciative," she said. "I have, since then, performed this piece at a few more events, including at a workshop in Miranda House where students from different colleges had gathered and really seemed to identify with my angst."
Delhi Poetry Slam on Tuesday uploaded a video of Singh performing the piece on YouTube, "since the topic continues to remain important, and battle lines, in the struggle to express freely, are redrawn with each incident", she said.