Lampshade Writers in Collaboration with KavitaKAFE

In March 2025, Pune-based poetry collective कविताKAFE launched Healing Verses, a unique outreach initiative that blends poetry and music therapy to comfort and connect with the elderly, patients, and those navigating difficult health challenges. These sessions, held in old-age homes and hospitals, transform poetry into more than just an art form; it becomes a tool for healing.

The participants at the event

Since its inception, Healing Verses has touched hearts across the city:

• Vrindavan Old-Age Home, March 2025

• Aaji Care Geriatric Centre, April 2025 & June 2025

• Cipla Cancer Care Centre, May 2025 & August 2025

• QMT, July 2025

• Poona Blind School, August 2025

At every session, participants describe feeling seen, heard, and emotionally uplifted, a reaffirmation of poetry’s ability to heal and connect. The initiative is “bringing poetry and music to places that need it most,” spreading positivity and creating safe emotional spaces for communities often overlooked.

Healing Verses: Poetry with Purpose

Launched in March 2025 by Pune-based collective कविताKAFE, Healing Verses brings poetry and music therapy to spaces where art is rarely present, old-age homes, palliative care units, schools for the visually impaired, and rehabilitation centres. The initiative is free of cost and aims to answer a central question: “Who has been left out of poetry’s embrace?”

Each session is carefully tailored to its audience. Organisers consult with caregivers in advance and adapt content accordingly: familiar film songs, light sher-o-shayari, and live instruments for audiences who may struggle with long readings; original poetry for soldiers, students, or participants eager to share their own voices. All performances are curated around themes of hope, resilience, and joy, avoiding heavy undertones.

The impact has been profound. At Aaji Care, a dementia patient unable to recall her name sang along to Tareef Karun Kya Uski. At another session, an elderly man rose to dance, infusing the room with joy. Soldiers at QMTI have begun writing poetry themselves, while teachers at Poona Blind School are nurturing verse among visually impaired students.

Musicians play a central role with guitar, flute, djembe, and harmonica, bridging gaps where words may not suffice. Though not formally linked to therapy professionals yet, the sessions are widely acknowledged to have therapeutic effects.

Looking ahead, KavitaKAFE hopes to expand Healing Verses to marginalized communities such as LGBTQ+ groups, sex workers, and those in addiction recovery, as well as scale beyond Pune. Plans also include archiving performances, preserving these moments of connection and healing for the future.

A Collaboration with Lampshade Writers

In its latest chapter, Healing Verses partnered with Lampshade Writers, a creative collective that has carved a niche in experimental storytelling and community-driven writing. Together, the two groups are expanding the reach of poetry, creating sessions that are not only performative but also restorative.

For the writers and musicians, many of whom are working professionals in IT, pharmaceuticals, and education, this collaboration is as meaningful as it is artistic.

“We feel fortunate to be part of Healing Verses. Art gains purpose when it reaches those who need it most,” said one Lampshade Writers participant.

The participants at the event

Heartfelt Moments from the Sessions

The sessions have produced deeply moving moments. At Aaji Care, a dementia patient, unable to recall her own name, joined in softly singing Tareef Karun Kya Uski. At another home, an elderly gentleman rose from his chair and began to dance slowly, transforming the atmosphere into one of joy and shared celebration.

At QMTI, soldiers recovering from injuries have begun writing poetry themselves. “They tell us it gives them a new way to express emotions they can’t otherwise articulate,” the host shared.

These instances underline the transformative power of poetry when delivered with empathy and intent.

Audience Response and Lasting Impact

Feedback from audiences has been overwhelmingly positive. Many residents request repeat visits and look forward to future sessions. Some even prepare their own poems in anticipation, eager to take the stage themselves.

As one elderly participant expressed, “It’s not just a program,it feels like family visiting us.”

Beyond Performance: Towards Transformation

The collaboration between कविताKAFE and Lampshade Writers highlights a growing understanding: art is not a luxury, but a necessity in care and healing spaces. By introducing poetry and music where they are least expected,old-age homes, hospitals, and schools for the visually impaired, these groups are redefining what literature can do.

“This is poetry with a purpose,” said the host of कविताKAFE. “It is not just about recitation. It is about transformation.”

Through Healing Verses, two collectives have demonstrated that the written and spoken word retain their oldest power: to connect, to comfort, and to heal.

How You Can Be Part of Healing Verses

If you are a poet, musician, or simply someone who believes in the healing power of art, you can be part of this journey. कविताKAFE and Lampshade Writers welcome volunteers, performers, and supporters to join hands in extending Healing Verses to more care homes, hospitals, and communities.

Whether it is through performing, sponsoring sessions, or simply spreading the word, your contribution can help turn poetry into a force for good.

To learn more about upcoming sessions or to get involved, reach out to कविताKAFE or Lampshade Writers through their community pages.

Article by: Patrichia Dcruze