“I exist, that is all, and I find it nauseating…..” (Sartre)
The Order of Pen (TOOP), a global literary organization, kicked of its initiative of opening chapters in different parts of the world by hosting one-of-a-kind poetry slam contest, Poetic Rhapsody, in the city of Peshawar on the 26th of May, 2023.
Poetic Rhapsody was held at the reputable National Incubation Centre, Peshawar. The event was arranged in collaboration with one of the prominent literary societies of the city, Edwardes Literary Society of Edwardes College Peshawar. It was an effort, to promote and preserve the essence of art and artists in Peshawar; the art being poetry this time!
Poetic Rhapsody happened to be a thematic poetry slam contest that revolved around the idea of ‘Existential Angst of the Civilized Human’. The poets had to come up with an original piece based on a painting, ‘The Scream’, by Edvard Munch that depicts the said angst in a gloomy yet soothing way.
The Order Of Pen received more than 50 submissions solely from the city of Peshawar upon advertisement of the event. Since this was going to be the very first poetry slam of its kind to be held in Peshawar, the founder and his team had to walk on egg shells whilst selecting the participants.
The participants, namely: Deewah, Fatima Ali, Haider Ihsan Dawar, Mahrosh Abid, Muskaan Khalid, Mujtaba Hilal, Yasin Khan, Neha Kaleem, Layeba Tahir, Zarghuna, Syed Ayub Shah, Gulrukh, and Maria Shah were the lucky thirteen who were selected to perform (or poetform as the Founder TOOP likes to put it) at NIC, in front of a literary audience and a panel of multidisciplinary judges.
Judges panel included Dr. Samiuddin Arman, Mr. Asher Gohar, Mr. Mir Ahmad Jalal from Edwardes College Peshawar, and Mr. Noman Saleem from Islamia College Peshawar.
Even though the contest was a lingually inclusive one, the participants chose to write and recite their poems in English only. All the performances were packed with sheer enthusiasm and were enjoyed heartily by the audience.
Layeba Tahir, an alumna of Edwardes College Peshawar, stood first. Her poem was titled ‘The Song Of Ravaging Freedom’. She received 1st Position certificate, a cash prize of Rs.10,000 amidst loads of appreciative applauds and a TOOP gift hamper.
The second position was bagged by Neha Kaleem from University of Peshawar. Her poem depicted the bane that a mother has to go through whilst raising a child in a world full of existential dread. She received 2nd position certificate, a cash prize of Rs.7500, along with the signature TOOP gift hamper.
Muskaan Khalid, a student of MBBS at the Khyber Girls Medical College, Peshawar, stood third. Her slam focused on the psychological suffocation faced by a civilized woman, in this absurdly civilized world. She took home 3rd position certificate, a cash prize of Rs.5000, along with yet another TOOP gift hamper.
All the participants received participation certificates, participation prize of Rs.1000, and the signature TOOP gift hamper.
The event was covered by all the major local TV channels like Kay 2, AVT Khyber, and many others. It was also made part of all the major print media at the provincial level.
The event left everyone with a smile on their face and a rhetorical question in their heart ; the question being:
‘How else can we alleviate the agony of existential dread if not by art and its essence?’
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