Today on My Poetic Side we take a look at the Turkish Presidents launch of the 700th-anniversary celebrations for Yunus Emre, a hotel with poetry connections and poetry for fuel.

Turkish President Calls for Turkish Language to be Preserved

On Tuesday Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish President called for all citizens of the country to help protect and preserve the Turkish Language. He was talking at the launch of a series of events that will be taking place to celebrate the 700^th anniversary of the death of the Turkish poet and Sufi mystic, Yunus Emre. He referred to the campaign as the “Turkish: World Language” initiative.

First, the language, and then the soldiers should protect the homeland he said.

He also reminded the Turkish people that UNESCO had included the anniversary of the death of the poet on its list of anniversaries this year and thanked the representatives of several neighbouring countries for their support in helping this to happen.

The initiative on language comes at a time when it is felt that Turkish is being phased out by many in the country in favour of speaking in other languages rather than the native tongue. He also announced that 224 events would be taking place during the year as part of the campaign.

Emre was a particularly important figure in the cultural history of Turkey and his influence is still as strong today as it was during his lifetime.

Hotel with Connections to Poet Stars in TV Show

A hotel in Mid Sussex with connections to the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley has recently had a starring role in a television show.

Located in Balcombe, the Highley Manor Hotel featured on Interior Design Masters the BBC show which was presented by the comedian Alan Carr. The programme aired on BBC Two on 16^th February. A group of interior designers was asked to makeover one of the bedrooms in the 19-bed luxury hotel and make it the perfect place for a bride and groom.

The house was built in 1660 and during the 19^th century was the home of Percy Bysshe Shelley, the romantic poet. The house fell into disuse after this and was eventually knocked down. The building that now stands in its place was later built on the same plot.

It is rumoured that the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson stayed here during the 1920s.

Poetry for Fuel

In Tamil Nadu, where the price of fuel is increasing dramatically gas stations are offering free fuel. There is a catch however in order to obtain the free fuel for their family children must recite some of the famous couplets that make up the poetry of Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural. Those children who recite 10 couplets will get half a litre and if they can recite twenty couplets, they will get a full litre.

The Tirukkural or Kural as it is sometimes shortened to is a Tamil language text that is a classic. It has 1330 couplets each containing seven words. There are three books within the text which look at the ideas of virtue, love and wealth.