ABOUT TUESDAYS WITH THE BARD @ URBAN SOLACE

Urban Solace - Your Cafe for the Soul is India's FIRST truly cultural cafe. Incorporated in 2009, Urban Solace has pioneered experiences in poetry, comedy, music, art, literature and more...

"Tuesdays with the Bard at Urban Solace" is featured in the "Limca Book of Records 2016" as "The Longest Running Poetry Event in India".

Over the last 14+ years “Tuesdays with the Bard at Urban Solace” poets have wrung tears of joy, nods of recognition, fleeting smiles, happy applause, wistful memories ... and several unforgettable poems.

ABOUT THE POET: Arvind Padmanabhan

Arvind Padmanabhan is a telecom software engineer with a deep curiosity for the world of ideas. In 2013, he self-published The Infinite Bit: An Inside Story of Digital Technology, a reflection of his engagement with the digital world. He is also the Founder Trustee of the Devopedia Foundation, an open platform for knowledge sharing.

More recently, Arvind has turned his attention to the delicate art of Haiku. His work has appeared in respected journals like Failed Haiku and Under the Basho. In June 2025, he released his first collection of English Haiku poetry, No Cherry Blossoms in My Haiku, self-published and rooted in the everyday beauty and chaos of Bengaluru.

At this Special Edition of Tuesdays with the Bard at Urban Solace, Arvind will offer a gentle introduction to Haiku—exploring how it differs from mainstream poetry and what makes it so evocative. He will read selected poems from his new book, each accompanied by the story behind its creation.

Don’t expect cherry blossoms here - Arvind’s Haiku are about gulmohars and potholes, koel songs and ginger chai. Written in the traditional three-line format, his poetry is shaped by both Japanese masters and contemporary voices, and grounded in the immediacy of lived experience.