Branding is all about storytelling to distinguish identity and connect with the audience. Public Relations as a function needs strong story pegs, pitch stories, formation of data and facts and all relevant material that could create positive stories for brand building. Advertising’s backbone is creative storytelling. Corporate Communications teams spend hours figuring out what can be the best story that can come out for the spokesperson and organisation and through which platforms. Marketing is doing activities (basically telling stories through actions, information, displays, offers, etc.) to attract an audience.
Poems tell stories. They describe a person, place, event or incident. They tell the motives, emotions and outcomes. Poems use facts and imagination to tell a story. They make us feel, question, introspect and think. They influence our thoughts, visions, feelings and dreams, and thus shape our opinions and views. They beautify literature, the aura of a person, culture, place, incident, story and emotions.
Poetry is the first element of Legacy Matrix, developed with 12 years of qualitative analytical research. My research concludes that legacy is built in the culture. Poems have the power to become a part of culture, history and literature and be passed on for centuries. Poetry is an art form but can be used smartly in a scientific approach too for communication. At times they can be used as testimonies and records.
World’s biggest epic and literature which is the Hindu culture’s heritage and treasure and India’s legacy pride, Mahabharata is narrative poetry in the Sanskrit language penned by the wise sage Vyasa. The great Ramayana of Lord Rama, even older than Mahabharata is a collection of epic poems and majorly credited to sage Valmiki. The Shiv Puran, a part of 18 Mahapurans, which tells the story of The Lord Shiva, is one of the oldest texts in the world and is written in poetic verses. So is the holy Vishnu Puran.
The Holy Bible which was originally written in Hebrew was drafted in rich poetry including songs, narratives and proverbs and later translated into other languages again in poetic structures. The Holy Bhagvad Geeta which is the message of Lord Krishna was drafted in poetry in the Sanskrit language. Siddharth Gautam who founded Buddhism is considered a good poet and he wrote many life messages in poetries as Gautam Buddha. The respected Sikh Gurus used poetries to preach Sikhism which is also called as Raga to share the message of love, peace, brotherhood and humanity with the human race.
These are the rich religious and cultural texts passed on from generation and hold high respect in societies and communities. These texts and literature have an unparalleled legacy for eons.
Songs and Bhajans are basically poems which are given music integrating lyric meter.
Kings and Queens across history and regions and cultures have hired scholars and poets to glorify their beauty, their kingdom, their wars, their lives, their incidents and their legacy. Many poets have written on popular figures organically. Songs are poetries accompanied by music. Many singers, songwriters, and musicians have attained fame, stardom, references and legacy due to the power of poetry. From Bollywood, many actors have earned fame, stardom and legacy because of the popular and rich songs picturised on them. Bhajans and hymns are religious songs. Hanuman Chalisa is one of the most powerful and popular Bhajan. Folk songs in varying languages have been passed on from generation to generation. Advertising jingles are poetic in nature.
Countries have national anthems. At times corporate and private groups too. Anthem is a commitment poetry for an idea, cause, belief or community that unifies the people. Slogans used by politicians or political parties or private bodies are a poetic message too. Taglines are poetic in nature.
There have been thousands and thousands of Kings and Queens through out the history across timelines and regions, but majority people in general are aware of few of them like Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Akbar, Mahrana Pratap, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Alexander, Rani Laxmibai among a few more in those popular cult league. Why so? My research and observation suggests that these are the personalities on whom many poems have been written and they were passed on for generations and they became a part of culture. The great Sage Vishwamitra became immortal because of his composition on Gayatri Mantra. I also observe that some of the most famous places in the world like Rome, London, Greece, New York, Mumbai, Delhi, Paris, Mathura, Vrindavan, Kedarnath, Golden Temple and Kashmir among others are the ones on whom many poetries have been penned in varying set of works. Troy as a country or a place doesn’t exist today but still its legacy echoes because of poems being written on its Kingdom, on Achilles and on Helen despite more than two millennium of its fall.
How will you leverage poetries for your legacy building? Stay tuned for the second part.
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