A three-day residential Pondicherry/Auroville Poetry Festival 2026 was held at Sri Aurobindo Society’s SHARANAM Convention Centre, located near Ousteri Lake, the main water body of Pondicherry.

The first day began with readings of Sri Aurobindo’s poems including his translations from the Tamil of the ThiruKural and an extract from his play; devotional music; a contemporary dance based on Mary Oliver’s poem ‘Evidence’. It also held a fascinating panel discussion titled, ‘How Does Poetry Help in Coping with War?’ moderated by Swati Pal, poet, professor and principal, Janki Devi Memorial College, New Delhi. The event was attended by nearly 50 people.

Hosted and presented by Gayatri Majumdar (festival director), Anju Makhija (co-founder/co-curator) and K. Srilata (co-curator) of The Brown Critique and Pondicherry Poets, this year’s festival saw 35 participants and poets from across India.

Apart from poetry readings, there were book launches, workshops, panel discussions, music, a dance performance and a farm walk highlighting the ‘Spiritual Significance of Flowers’ at Matri Udayan (Ashram Farm) by Krishna.