The world's becoming a smaller place
And moving at a faster pace.
And soon we'll find it very strange
Because of all the rapid change.
On much more change we can bet
With the spreading of the Internet.
And culture too will mutate.
For sure it will proliferate.
Greater access would be great.
But will the quality abate?
Now if you asked any seer
Much more would be peer to peer.
Is this something we should cheer?
Or is it something we should fear?
The intermediaries that steer
May be forced to disappear.
Can we navigate that mess?
I'm not so sure, I must confess.
If the policeman's not on his beat
You may not want to walk the street.
But those who drive in India know
That a self regulating flow
May look like it's disorganized.
But it should be realized
The solution is all about
Each entity looking out.
Of course the seeming chaos fools,
Without overarching rules
Somehow the traffic seems to flow.
I think that this just goes to show
The phenomenon that Galbraith noted
And if his phrase were to be quoted,
His "Functioning anarchy"
Is self-regulating panarchy.
Now ordered minds may see a flaw
But in India it's the natural law.
In time the Internet I say
Will also choose to go this way.
And culture will be ubiquitous.
Some may think this iniquitous,
With visions of endless waste,
Without the arbiters of taste.
And strict divisions may all end
As art forms choose to merge and blend.
And this can be observed the best
At the Mumbai Literary Fest.
Undoubtedly books are the core,
Of this you can be very sure.
But really thought’s at the fore
There are discussion groups galore.
So throughout the day you can think
Evenings and weekends explore the link
Of literature and other arts
For literature is where it starts.
And naturally theatre's there.
Performance poetry has a share.
They even have Shakespeare Hip Hop
But that is not where they stop.
There's a self portrait that's dramatized.
And three arts combined and synergized,
With music, dance and poetry
Enabling us to clearly see
How Tagore united arts
And made a whole from the parts.
There's lots on offer, totally free.
So go and listen, go and see.
Now every flame has a sparker
And for this Fest it's Anil Dharker.
The Fest is now in its third year
And for that Anil deserves a cheer.
All the flags that are unfurled
Support the theme,"Around the World".
For the Fest this is a theme
And for the sponsor, it would seem.
For Nature's Basket by design
Was meant to bring all that's fine -
In terms of food, as well as wine,
Everything one needs to dine
From everywhere that one can think.
So do enjoy the food and drink.
We almost have two dozen stores
And very soon we will have scores.
As smaller towns begin to thrive
More Nature's Baskets will arrive.
We have food for all the courses
As well as garnishes and sauces.
We bring to you the very best
Of cuisines from East and West.
We have events of show and tell
To ensure that you eat well.
Of course we'd like you to savour
Every different kind of flavour.
But I think you'll also find
We always have your health in mind.
So do enjoy both Feast and Fest
I wish you all the very best.
