New Delhi: The third edition of the Delhi Poetry Festival will begin on Friday, bringing together some of the most prolific poets and performers from across the country.

The festival will see a participation of many remarkable speakers like Javed Akhtar, Muzaffar Ali, Uday Prakash, Sukrita Paul Kumar, Keki Daruwalla and Vinod Kapri, apart from Urdu poets Waseem Barelvi, Farhat Shahzad, and film and theatre personality Piyush Mishra, among others.

Spread across two auditoria in the Siri Fort complex, the festival promises translation of poetry that spread across various expressions of art. The three-day extravaganza, organized by Poets Corner, will conclude on December 20.

"Our objective has always been to promote and rejuvenate poetry in the literary space and DPF connects people through the power of poetry. It's our endeavour to enlighten and attract poetry lovers by putting together a platform that provides stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining interactions for all ages and walks of life. The third edition of DPF is a leap of faith and we hope to carry it ahead in the coming years by introducing novel ideas," said Dolly Singh, poet and festival founder.

New segments such as poetry plays, poetry films, performance poetry, poetry for and by kids are introduced this year, according to the organisers.

The highlights of the festival include sessions like 'Amrita – A Sublime Love Story', a play based on the life of Punjabi Poet Amrita Pritam; an evening with Piyush Mishra, 'Remembering Sahir Ludhianvi ' and a grand mushaira.

The session 'Meena Kumari- The Unsung Poetess' will recreate the bygone era of Meena Kumari. Designers Leena Singh and Ashima Singh will curate this show.

'The Revolutionary Romantic', a rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's works by Vijai Vardhan will give a peak into the poet's works.

'Nirbhaya – The Fearless One', a poetic interpretation paying tribute to Nirbhaya, will see a panel discussion with Kamla Bhasin, Ranjana Kumari and poet Uday Prakash, who will also recite his poems on Nirbhaya. Panel discussions and interactive sessions will decode poetry for the common man.

'Ye Shehar Hai Shayro'n Ka' will be a discussion on historical Delhi poets. 'Is Poetry a Domain of the Elite' and a conversation on translations will bring out various nuances and hues poetry. Budding and emerging poets, a fair mix of university students, professionals, homemakers and senior citizens will also take the mike to recite their self-composed poetry.

Further, a dedicated session for school children organized by New Leaf Poets Club, the junior wing of Poets Corner will see a participation of young skilled children from the schools of Delhi and beyond. (IANS)