Mystic Kalinga poetry fest takes off

Mystic Kalinga, the international festival of poetry and performances, kicked off today in Bhubaneswar in the presence of a host of prominent poets from around the world.
Renowned Indian English poet Keki N Daruwala and famous Hindi poet as well as cultural critic Ashok Vajpayee graced the inaugural session and discussed various aspects of Indian culture from a critical point of view.
Both said there must be clear distinction between myth and reality.
In a session moderated by poet Arundhati Subramaniam, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, the Chief Guest, discussed Indian mysticism and decoded hidden Indian philosophical messages of Life through short tales and stories.

During the discussion, the Sadhguru took different questions from the audience about meditation and yoga being an alternative to curing mental illness and said it has the potential to heal mental illness of certain degrees with constant practice.
The first day of the second edition of Mystic Kalinga showcased various genres of Indian poetry as three poetry recital sessions -- multilingual, Odia and Bhakti poetry -- were held after the inaugural session.
Noted poets such as Navaneeta Dev Sen, Sitakanta Mohapatra, Arundhati Subramanian, Saroj Bal read out their poems.