We gather to read and listen to poems in all languages, with impromptu translations.

The circle will be opened by two featured poets this week, Pragalbha Doshi (English) & Sundeep Kohli (Urdu/Hindustani).

Pragalbha Doshi says poetry 'happened' to her during the time of her recovery from a very difficult illness. In her words "I remember the exact moment & setting when the first surge of life essence started rhyming in my mind. I had to drop everything and type, it was a very different, powerful feeling. I got scared - thinking, this looks like poetry ...

It took a while to befriend poetry as my gift. I thought each one that came was the last. I couldn't own it or name the place it came from. It brought alive to me the relation of existence with the Universe, and the nature of my relation to the world."

She lives with her family of 2 teenage boys and husband in San Jose, CA. As a yoga teacher, she facilitates change for others who struggle with chronic symptoms of stress, physical and emotional, and who want a productive & fulfilling life.

Sundeep Kohli is a poet by heart, and engineer by profession. He writes Ghazals and Nazms, on his favorite topics of romance, philosophy, politics and life.

He says "My initial romance with poetry started with school book poems. I liked them so much that I started reading poetry books by poets like Harivansh Rai Bachan, Dinkar and Nirala. Faiz Ahmed Faiz was my early introduction to Urdu poetry, he being my Grandfather’s favorite poet. The biggest influence came when I watched Ghalib TV serial by Gulzar Sahib and it changed the way I felt about poetry. I was intrigued by Ghalib and bought Dewan-e-Ghalib. I sat through nights to read Ghalib. I feel Ghalib is like a friend, who talks to me and can spell out every feeling I can feel." This friendship is pursued through my poetic offerings.