KUMPULAN Penyair Nasional (Khupas), comprising Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia students, won the inaugural Puisidra (a combination of poetry recital and drama) competition during Malam Puisi Riong Berita Harian for Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka's (DBP) Edisi Puisidra 2024.
The event, held at Balai Budaya Tun Syed Nasir in Wisma DBP, Kuala Lumpur, was launched by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek.
Emerging as champion in the inaugural competition, Khupas also took home a cash prize of RM3,000.
Eight teams from Malaysian public universities took part in the preliminary round which began at 9am
that day.
However, only the top three teams performed at the evening event, before the winner was announced.
Malam Puisi Riong BH goes back a long way, since its inception in the 1980s, as an effort to cultivate interest in Malay culture and literature.
ʻRiongʼ refers to the road where the headquarters of The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, Balai Berita, is located.
This yearʼs event, themed ʻMalaysia Madaniʼ, also marked the inaugural Puisidra contest.
Apart from ensuring the continuity of Malay arts and culture, the event also aimed to foster patriotism.
It was also intended to improve Bahasa Melayu proficiency among youths to ensure academic excellence.
Khupas member Najmi Adli Mustaffa, 25, welcomed the competition as a way to tap into the language skills of Malaysian university students.
He said by combining poetry and drama, the competition would be able to attract youths.
"I feel this is among the best platforms we have for us to explore now," he added.
Aiman Afiq, 21, who came to support his university mates, agreed that this year's Puisidra competition had caught the attention of many.
"I can clearly see the positive impact it has created among university students, my friends included.
"Before they joined this competition, I didn't think any of them had hidden skills like acting and poetry recital.
"I'm impressed by my friends, and this event."
Aiman hoped the competition will become an annual event during Malam Puisi Riong BH.
The evening also saw poetry recitals by National Laureate Datuk Rahman Shaari; Zaen Kasturi (recipient of the 2010 Southeast Asia Literature Prize); and 2024 Sasterawan Mastera recipient Muhammad Lutfi Ishak.
Hosted by lively influencer Zhiddin Aziz, there were also performances by artistes such as Marsha Milan, Najwa Latif and Keka Nizam.
Present at the event were Polytechnic Education and Community Colleges Department director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Zahari Ismail and DBP director-general Dr Hazami Jahari.
Others in attendance were Media Prima Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Dr Syed Hussian Aljunid, group managing editor Jasbant Singh, deputy group managing editor Farrah Naz Abd Karim, who is also New Straits Times group editor, and BH executive editor (news and digital) Zainudin Mohd Isa.