A Live Masterclass · Saturday 11 July 2026

The Art of Discernment

Healing Through Poetry

Two hours with two poems — one written two centuries ago, one written in reply. A slow, live reading that quietly teaches the one discernment beneath all healing: knowing when to yield, when to stand, and when to walk away.

DateSaturday, 11 July 2026

Time4:00 PM IST

Duration2 hours, live

Fee₹99

What this masterclass is

Most of us, somewhere in our lives, are quietly confused about a single question: when something presses on us, when someone wounds us, when a relationship asks too much of us — should we yield, should we hold our ground, or should we walk away?

We get it wrong in both directions. We submit when we should not, because some part of us cannot yet believe we deserve better. Or we strike back so hard that we are destroyed alongside what we were fighting. The middle path — standing firm without being consumed — is the hardest to find, and the least taught.

This masterclass approaches that question through poetry. Across two hours, we read two poems slowly together — and through them, something becomes clear that is difficult to name in the abstract but unmistakable once you have felt it. By God's grace, it is the discernment I believe lies beneath all genuine healing.

This is not a lecture about poetry, and it is not therapy. It is a slow, lived reading — the kind that meets you where you are, and leaves you a little more able to tell the difference between surrender, sovereignty, and self-destruction.

Healing does not come without the power of discernment.

What you will carry away

A way of reading poetry slowly — the kind of attention that turns a poem into a mirror rather than a museum piece.
The discernment to recognise, in your own relationships and pressures, which of the three responses you are standing in.
A felt understanding of the difference between self-restraint and self-abandonment — two things that look alike from the outside and could not be more different within.
A quiet experience of how poetry can hold what ordinary advice cannot — and how it can become part of how you heal.
Two hours of stillness and depth, in a small live room, with no pressure to perform or share — only to receive.

Why poetry, why now

We tend to think of poetry as a luxury — something for people with time, or for students of literature. But the people who perform at the highest levels often know better.

The renowned heart surgeon Dr. Devi Shetty has spoken of how, in the height of a high-pressure operation, he experiences himself as an artist — an instrument in God's hands. The precision is technical; the steadiness is spiritual.

On surgery as a spiritual art

Anand Mahindra has said that whether one is an engineer or an MBA, everyone should study the arts — because the arts engage the whole brain, and a whole brain makes better decisions.

On the arts and the full mind

Poetry read slowly is not an escape from a demanding life. It is a way of bringing the whole self — mind, heart, and spirit — into how we live and decide and heal. This masterclass is for anyone who senses that, however demanding their work or their wounds, there is a quieter intelligence waiting to be met.

Who this is for

Anyone walking a path of healing — from a relationship, a loss, a pattern they are only beginning to name.
Those drawn to poetry as something deeper than craft — as a way of meeting themselves.
Professionals — doctors, engineers, builders, leaders — who carry quiet weight and sense that the arts have something to offer their inner life.
Readers of Indian and world poetry who want the slow, spiritually-rooted reading they rarely find elsewhere.
Anyone confused, in some part of their life, about whether to submit, to stand, or to strike back — and ready to learn the discernment between them.

Featured on India in Pixels community

From those who came

What past participants say

Words from poets, professionals, and seekers who sat in the room of the previous masterclass.

The masterclass helped me appreciate the depth hidden in poetry. It made me realise that a few lines of poetry, when understood deeply, are better than reading 100 books.

— Abhishek

The poetry class was an enriching and deeply engaging experience. What made it truly special was the way Sonali explained every line of the poem with remarkable clarity and insight. Each verse was carefully unpacked, helping participants understand not only the literal meaning but also the emotions, symbolism, and deeper message behind the poet's words. Sonali's thoughtful interpretation brought the poem to life and made even complex lines easy to appreciate. The session encouraged a deeper connection with poetry and offered a fresh perspective on literary expression. It was an enlightening experience for both poetry enthusiasts and beginners alike. A truly memorable session that transformed reading poetry into a meaningful journey of understanding and reflection. And ice on the cake was Sonali's own poem in continuation to the original one…

— Debjani Deb

I joined Sonali's Masterclass on Poetry. For me, it has been a delightful experience that helped me understand the depth and range of emotions that can be expressed through poetry. I feel that expressing emotions comes more naturally when you can write them down and transform them into an art form. Thank you, Sonali, for providing such an extensive and enriching masterclass. I look forward to joining the main course.

— DSR

Yesterday's Masterclass was like a homecoming. Brought back those nostalgic moments when attending your space. Could travel with you till the end of Keats's poem. But after hearing your counter poem, it was like the train got derailed. What we understood with that fast reading was shattered when you said we were completely off the mark. Even after reading your poem today, feel to be in the wilderness. You could have accommodated the discussion on your poem within the schedule time, as you usually do in the spaces. Akka, one suggestion, can we have a small session exclusively to discuss your poem. Because I think we have crossed half the well. Moreover, the major part of the journey of healing is yet to happen.

— Subramanian Swamy

One participant was so moved that he wrote his feedback as a poem.

— Sutirtha Mondal

Reserve your place

₹99 · two hours, live

Saturday, 11 July 2026 · 4:00 PM IST · live online
Limited seats, to keep the room intimate.

How to register: Pay ₹99 to the UPI ID below, then fill the registration form with your name, email, and the payment transaction ID. Once your payment is confirmed, you will receive the live session link by email before 11 July.

UPI ID for payment: sonaliijec@okhdfcbank
Amount: ₹99

Your facilitator

Sonali Dutta

Sonali is a poet with twenty-two years of practice, a trained Rabindra Sangeet vocalist, and the founder of Sonali's Poetry Space, where she has hosted more than fifty literary gatherings. Her work moves between Bengali and English, rooted in the Bhakti and Vedantic traditions, and reaches toward the place where craft and contemplation meet.

She runs The Power of Poetry workshop and the BhashaSetu initiative for multilingual Indian storytelling, and shares Rabindra Sangeet analysis and Indian spirituality on her YouTube channel, Voices of Bharat.

Instagram @sonaliduttainsta · Twitter @SonaliDutta11 · YouTube: Voices of Bharat