Journalist-Turned-Poet Garima Mishra’s KavitaKAFE Turns Pune into a Hub of Hindi Poetry and Community Healing
Pune, India, 9 October 2025: Celebrated journalist-turned-poet Garima Mishra is transforming Pune’s cultural landscape with KavitaKAFE, an initiative dedicated to bringing Hindi poetry back into everyday life as a medium of expression, connection, and healing.
Garima’s bond with Hindi began in her childhood, growing up in a North Indian household immersed in the language’s rhythm and soul. Her journalistic career spanning nearly two decades with The Indian Express earned her recognition for empathetic storytelling, including the Express Excellence Award in 2015. Yet her first love—poetry in Hindi—remained a constant inspiration.
In October 2024, Garima founded KavitaKAFE, envisioning a space where poetry could thrive beyond classrooms and anthologies. Partnering with Monalisa Kalagram, a vibrant community arts hub in Pune, KavitaKAFE has grown into a cultural movement, engaging audiences through sessions like Aarambh, Baatcheet, Kavya-Katha, and Suno-Sunao, which bring together participants from diverse professions and generations.
“KavitaKAFE isn’t just about poetry; it’s about fostering empathy, community, and shared experience,” said Garima Mishra. “Through words, music, and performance, we are connecting people and creating spaces where emotions can be expressed freely.”
Expanding its impact, KavitaKAFE launched Healing Verses in March 2025, an outreach program using poetry and music as therapy. The initiative reaches elderly residents at Vrindavan Old-Age Home, cancer patients at Cipla Palliative Care, visually impaired students at Poona Blind School, geriatric patients at Aaji Care, and disabled soldiers at QMTI, providing emotional support and a sense of connection through artistic expression.
Garima’s poetry has garnered international recognition, featuring on Canadian radio CIUT.FM and in Norway-based bilingual magazine Ghudsavar. She has also judged competitions for All India Radio’s Akashvani, performed at open mics, devotional events, and cultural programs across Pune, and is currently working on her debut Hindi poetry book.
In March 2025, Garima was awarded the Pride of Maharashtra Award for her contributions to arts and society, highlighting her role as a cultural leader committed to Hindi language revival and community engagement.
Looking ahead, KavitaKAFE plans to merge poetry with dance, music, books, and visual arts to create immersive experiences for Pune’s literary and artistic community. The next session, Udaan (उड़ान), is scheduled for 2 November 2025 at Monalisa Kalagram, continuing the mission of keeping Hindi poetry expressive and alive.
