World Poetry Day: Celebrating the power of words

"Practiced throughout history – in every culture and every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace," says the official page of UNESCO on World Poetry Day which is celebrated on 21 March. 

Indeed, Poetry is a creative form that gives writers the ability to express deeply felt feelings, experiences, and hope. It shows that despite the divisions and disparities, much of what we feel and experience is similar, and so is our relationship with nature.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is the theme for World Poetry Day in 2024. The theme aims to highlight the iconic writers of the past whose trailblazing work enlarged the footprint of poetry across cultures.

World Poetry Day honours poets and aims to revive the art of poetry, the practice of reading poetry, and writing poetry. 

World Poetry Day's history and significance

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate World Poetry Day annually during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999. Earlier, many countries marked the day in October. Even after the UNESCO declaration in 1999, some countries still celebrate Poetry Day on 15 October, the birthday of the Roman poet Virgil - famous for his epic poem Aeneid.

World Poetry Day is devoted to supporting "linguistic diversity using poetic expression", according to the UN. Most UN member nations now observe this day to converge the art of poetry with other creative art forms like theatre, painting and dancing. The day aims to give voices to poems of endangered languages.