44) From practices at home to performances on stage!

I still remember that it was the monsoon season, and there was a poem recitation competition for the 1st standard in our school. The topic was ‘Rain’, and my parents, being wordsmiths, Mumma came up with the hook line of ‘Rain, rain everywhere, green grass everywhere…’ and Pappa filled the gaps to match the rhyme. Mumma made the props; she made cardboard clouds and attached ribbons of different colours, as if rain was falling from the clouds, and those clouds were tied to my hands, which I moved while reciting the poem. That poem won me 1st prize for three consecutive years in school, because of its originality and creativity, which my parents planted in the poem!

Performance at my Playschool.

I remember writing my first poem, it was a slow Sunday afternoon of 2nd February 2014. Everyone at home was taking their afternoon nap, and I had set up my study table (foldable then) in the balcony of my room at Bhagyalaxmi (the name of our house then), I was probably done with all the homework and studies and had free time, that is when I wrote my first poem in marathi called ‘Mokala Vel’ (that is Free Time) because I had it back then! And then whenever I felt from within, I wrote a poem. The first line always came to me; I just have to write it, and the rest of the lines just follow it! 

Poetry helps me unwind; it lets me understand my emotions better. It puts things in perspective. Sometimes it is almost equivalent to a blog and sometimes to a book. It helps me realise the economy of words and puts my creativity at test. It lets me experience emotions more deeply, and lets me play with words to express them! It was a poem that made me believe in myself that I can write. For the longest time, I only wrote poems, blogs, and books came along the way! The feeling of finding the right words to express and completing a poem gives an unmatched satisfaction!

In college, I delved more into serious poems, and also learnt a new form that is blackout poetry, where you are given a piece of a newspaper article, and you have to blackout everything except the words of the poem you can come up with in those very paragraphs. Sounds difficult, but it is very interesting. 

Poetry recitation in college!

Then last year in December, when I was just scrolling through Instagram before I sat down to study for exams, I came across this post of Taj Mahal Tea regarding ‘Brewing Poetry’, where we had to submit our poems on ‘TEA’, and the winners would get a chance to present their poems at Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 (JLF). So I had already planned to go to JLF, so I thought I might as well get a chance to perform. So, keeping the studies aside for a while, I actually wrote my poem, but I felt it needed a closure. Then I told Mumma about the competition, so she wrote her version in Hindi, and after listening to that, I got my last line! The next day after the exam, I came back home, shot my recitation, and uploaded it. And then I was one of the sixteen winners across the country, and I got a chance to be on the coveted stage of Jaipur Lit Fest, only because of poetry! 

Extremely thankful to my parents for planting the seeds of art, creativity, and presentation in me, my dear friend Anjali, who came along with me to Jaipur, Taj Mahal Tea for the opportunity, and last but not least, Bappa, for fulfilling my wildest bucket list wish!

PS: Happy Birthday, Bappa!!

Happy Reading, 
Siddhi Bhosale.

Links to all my Blogs:

1. The Uber Paaji and the Grandmama's Aaji! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-uber-paaji-and-grandmamas-aaji.html

2. RRR (Rainy Rickshaw Ride)☔🌂🌧️: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/07/rrr-rainy-rickshaw-ride.html

3. INDIAN : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/08/indian.html

4. Bappa Morya!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/09/bappa-morya.html

5. Hema Chaha and Gagga Vada!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/10/hema-chaha-and-gagga-vada_21.html

6. Udaipur: The city where silence is heard.: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/11/udaipur-city-where-silence-is-heard.html

7. The little gift box🎁!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-little-gift-box.html

8. Monday's Mistake!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/01/mondays-mistake.html

9. Golden Birthday, Golden Memories.: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/02/golden-birthday-golden-memories.html

10. Fire,Paper planes and Maharaj!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/03/firepaper-planes-and-maharaj.html

11. 4 Year's of Engineering in 4 Paragraphs!:https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/04/4-years-of-engineering-in-4-paragraphs.html

12. One Last Time....: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/05/one-last-time.html

13. Sahii Re Sahii!!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/06/sahii-re-sahii.html

14. The Fourth Seat!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/07/the-fourth-seat.html

15. Monday Blues!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/08/monday-blues.html

16. Lalbagh Cha Raja!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/09/lalbagh-cha-raja.html

17. Purani Jeans to formals!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/10/purani-jeans-to-my-formals.html

18. Patil Baba!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/11/patil-baba.html

19. World Cup'23: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2023/12/world-cup23.html

20. Bottle Garden Whispers!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/01/bottle-garden-whispers.html

21. Return Gift!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/02/return-gift.html

22. The one where Mumma turns 50!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-one-where-mumma-turns-50.html

23. Mumbai Diaries (Part 1): https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/04/mumbai-diaries-part-1.html

24. Graduation Day!!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/05/graduation-day.html

25. And miles to go before…….(Silver Jubilee Blog!): https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/06/and-miles-to-go-beforesilver-jubilee.html

26. T20 WC'24!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/07/t20-wc24.html

27. It Ends with US!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/08/it-ends-with-us.html

28. The Kite Runner!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-kite-runner.html

29. Buffet!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/10/buffet.html

30. My kind of Diwali Pahat!🎇: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/11/my-kind-of-diwali-pahat.html

31. An Evening to Remember!💫: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2024/12/an-evening-to-remember.html

32. Dear Pappa....: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/01/dear-pappa.html

33. Virtues Nursery!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/02/virtues-nursery.html

34. In the Moment!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/03/in-moment.html

35. The Teacup Talks!⛾⛾: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-teacup-talks.html

36. Summer Holidays in Gwalior!: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/05/summer-holidays-in-gwalior.html 

37. Kinder Joy, Blinkit & Punekars! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/06/kinder-joy-blinkit-punekars.html

38. Dear Cycle, : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/07/dear-cycle.html

39. A letter to S.S. Baba! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-letter-to-ss-baba.html

40. Books, Bookmarks and Bibliophiles! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/09/books-bookmarks-and-bibliophiles.html

41. Faral Gossips! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/10/faral-gossips.html

42. T.V, a long lost friend!📺: https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/11/42-tv-long-lost-friend.html

43. My BAGWATI! : https://sidthisside.blogspot.com/2025/12/43-my-bagwati.html