5th March 2011

NEXT EVENT: WRITER' GOSHTI (ENGLISH).

5th March 2011.

Time: 4pm to 6 pm.

Venue: CSA Auditorium, State Library Bldg, 1st Floor, Sector 34, Chandigarh

PUBLICATION AWARDS

CHANDIGARH SAHITA AKADEMI ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION AWARDS:

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi invites writers residing or working in Chandigarh to submit PRINTED BOOKS in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, or English (Poetry, Fiction, Plays) published in 2009 or 2010.

Three copies of each book should be sent to the CSA office (1st Floor, State Library, Sector 34, Chandigarh), by March 15, 2011. Edited books and those published with financial help from another agency will not be considered.

Manju Jaidka

Chairperson, CSA

FAIZ CENTENARY

FAIZ CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today celebrated the birth centenary of the noted poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz at the UT Guest House, Chandigarh. The event drew a large audience from a cross-section of society, the young and the old, the lay man and the scholar. Presiding over the event was Dr KL Zakir, the city’s grand old man of Urdu literature. He, along with Prof BN Goswamy, went down memory lane, recapturing a time in the past when they had shared their lives with Faiz. Prof PL Mehra, who was also present in the gathering, shared some of his reminiscences of the legendary poet.

Dr Shahid Mahuli from the Ghalib Institute in Delhi presented a scholarly paper on Faiz, giving an overview of the main characteristics of his poetry and the manner in which came to be recognized as a major voice of the twentieth century. Selections from Faiz poetry were sprinkled throughout the presentations: “mujhse pehli si muhabbat,” and “Raat yunh dil mein teri khoee hui yaad aayee / Jaise veeraaney mein chupkey sey bahaar aa jaye....” The Faiz fever gripped not only the senior citizens present in the gathering but also the comparatively young. Jatin Dutt, a youngster who runs the Chandigarh Urdu Bazm along with his friends, recited some Faiz poetry much to the delight of the listeners.

Dr Mahuli has recently edited a book on Faiz. This was released by Dr Zakir at the function.

A mushaira followed the poetry recitation in which there were some local poets and some from outstation. Shri KK Rishi from Kurukshetra, Mahendra Pratap Chand from Ambala, Nasir Naqvi from Patiala, were applauded for their poems. The local poets included BK Pannu, BAlbir Tanha, Gurdeep Gul, Ashk Amritsari, Shams Tabrezi, and Rupa Saba. Dr Zakir recited some poetry and so did Dr Mahuli. Present in the audience were two poets from abroad – Dr Iqbal from London and Dr Deepa Bahr from Kuala Lumpur – who read out a few of their shairs.

Overall, it was a stimulating session with some talks, some verse and plenty of food for the soul. Poetry can be a great binding factor. The audience bonded with each other, sharing Faiz-inspired thoughts generously interspersed with ‘irshads’ and ‘bahut khoob’.

The organizers of the CSA thanked the gathering for their continued support and assured them of more quality events in the coming times.

LOOK OUT FOR: A Writer’s Goshti that will bring together poetry and fiction writers of the city who write in English. Those interested may email a brief cv to sahitakad2008@gmail.com along with a 5-minute composition they wish to present. The deadline is 20^th February 2011.

Manju Jaidka

Chairperson, CSA

Festival of letters - 2011

Day 1:

The inaugural address of Dr Karan Singh, member Rajya Sabha and President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations at the Chandigarh Festival of Letters 2011 left none in the audience in any doubt as to why he is referred to as India’s poet, philosopher and politician.

In a free ranging talk liberally sprinkled with Shakespearean quotes and Sanskrit shlokas, Dr Singh held forth on the importance of literary and linguistic evolution – an evolution made possible by the de-recognition of boundaries and respect for all cultures. He referred to English as just another Indian language contributing equally to the richness of the Indian ethos. “We have to preserve our literature and culture no matter what happens,” he said, elaborating further by referring to books as “more precious than gems.”

The keynote address was delivered by Ms Madhu Kishwar Founder Editor of Manushi, on Language issues in India in a session chaired by Prof Meera Malik. Ms Kishwar rued the fact that English has become our language of intimacy even though it is a language that a majority of Indians are not comfortable with. She stressed the necessity of communication skills that enhance rather than detract from the importance of ideas.

The first day also saw sessions on creative writing and book readings by two upcoming novelists Manjul Bajaj and Amandeep Sandhu with Prof Mehndiratta, former Chairperson CSA in the chair. Ms Bajaj, being a newspaper columnist as well looked at events as idea sources. The excerpts she read out from her novel Come, Before Evening Falls and some poems ranging from the horror of honour killing to being stoned for adultery or being killed for going against the system. Amandeep Sandhu confronted the ghosts and fears of the 1984 riots in his book titled ‘Role of Honour’. He read out excerpts from his largely autobiographical first book, Sepia Leaves as well.

Prof. Alok Bhalla, who is very well-known for his critical writings and his translations of the Partition stories, is a member of the national Sahitya Akademi and remains very active on the Indian literary scene. He has now turned to poetry and read some of his poems which were greatly appreciated by a spell-bound audience. These poems took birth in Jerusalem when Prof Bhalla spent time there as a visiting professor. From what he read it is evident that a lot more verse will flow from his pen.

The Festival has been organized under the aegis of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi (CSA) in collaboration with Panjab University.

Day 2:

Discourses on the works of Ageya, Nagarjuna and Shamsher Bahadur Singh dominated the second day of the ongoing Chandigarh Festival of Letters 2011 organised by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with Panjab University Chandigarh at the campus here today.

Speaker after speaker highlighted the multifaceted personae of these writer-poets that resulted in a century of voluminous work defined by their involvement with language and life. All three, with varying degree, chronicled the socio-political realities of their time, incisively cutting to the bone with their defiance of hegemonic power structures. They celebrated individualism as the bedrock of collectivism, as also the myriad manifestations of existentialism in the circle of life. The fact that their poetry was marked by experimentalism is but a natural corollary of their own identity.

The speakers included Nand Kishore Acharya, Lal Chand Gupt Mangal, Archana Sharma, Yojna Rawat and Sudhir Kumar.

Today’s sessions culminated in the release of Prof J.S. Grewal’s latest book, ‘History, Literature and Identity: Four Centuries of Sikh Tradition’, by Prof B.S. Brar, Dean University Instructions, Panjab University. Prof Grewal, former Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University and later Chairperson, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies Shimla, has written extensively on historiography, medieval India and the Punjab and Sikh history. His latest book highlights the intricate connections between literature and historical processes through his analysis of the core Sikh texts from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Each source is its own personal reflection of the shifting realities of its time, giving Sikh ideology its prism of identity.

Prof Prithipal Singh Kapur, Prof Indu Banga and Dr John Webster, all eminent historians in their own right, also shared their views on the book with the audience.

Day 3:

The third day of the Festival of Letters began with paper presentations by three young scholars on diverse yet connected topics. Navreet Sahi focused on JM Coetzee and read a paper on the connection between his novella "Foe" and the original story of Robinson Crusoe. She highlighted the derivative aspect of Coetzee's art and the manner in which each writer moulds and adapts a story to suit his purpose. Jagmeet read a paper on Fairy Tales and how they are transformed as they travel from one location to another. Kiran's paper was on the various adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. The thrust of all three presentations was on the manner in which a story undergoes changes and is made relevant to the time and age which adopts it.

These presentations were followed by papers by invited speakers. Mariam Karim Ahlawat, who is a creative writer and also translator, spoke on the complexities of translation. She used concepts derived from Bakhtin, Todorov and other theorists to explain how the work she has produced is dialogic in nature and has many voices, many speakers. Susan comfort, a Fulbright visiting scholar, is from Indiana University. She is is interested in eco-feminism and made a presentation on Arundhati Roy's concerns with the environment.

Prof Rupin Desai, the grand old man of Shakespeare Studies in India, spoke to an enthralled audience on the relevance of the Bard in today's world. Shakespeare was a writer mainly concerned with human nature. Desai believes that although we have undergone many changes in culture and civilization, our basic human nature has not changed. This is the reason for the timeless appeal of Shakespeare and the reason why he continues to be popular even today.

A Literary Quiz, open to all, brought the three-day Festival to a grande finale. The Quiz was conducted by Prof Anil Raina who kept the audience on its toes not simply with his trick questions but also with his humorous asides. There was an initial screening to select four teams that went onto the stage for eight rounds of questions that dealt with world literature -- Indian, European, American, Oriental, et al. there were questions for the audience, too. Overall the atmosphere was one of excitement hard to suppress. Cash prizes were given to the first three teams.

Certificates and prizes were also given to school children and college students who participated in Creative Writing Competitions. Dr Vibha Ray, Principal of DAV School (Lahore) Sector 8, gave away the prizes.

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi is thus targeting Chandigarh residents of all age groups, the young and the not so young. It may be recalled that on the first day of the Festival of Letters Dr Karan Singh, who inaugurated the Festival, conferred Awards of Recognition to the following senior writers of Chandigarh for their contribution to Literature: Dr. Chander Trikha, Dr (Mrs) BK Pannu, Dr Kailash Ahluwalia, Shri NS Rattan, Smt Madhur Kapila, Smt Gurdeep Gul, Shri Bhagwant Singh.

The Festival of Letters 2011 has now concluded but the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi has already planned some events to be held in the near future. To begin with, on 13th February comes the celebration of the noted poet Faiz. Other events will be announced on the CSA blog and Facebook.

Pictures of the event:

https://picasaweb.google.com/sahitakad2008/FestivalOfLetters?authkey=Gv1sRgCKzmlOaFiK72dw#

Felicitations 2011

At the Festival of Letters the following writers of Chandigarh were given Awards of Recognition for their contribution to Literature:

Dr. Chander Trikha

Dr (Mrs) BK Pannu

Dr Kailash Ahluwalis

Shri NS Rattan

Smt Madhur Kapila

Smt Gurdeep Gul

Shri Bhagwant singh.

Dr Karan Singh, Who inaugurated the Festival, conferred these awards.

More details of the function along with photos, will follow.

Chandigarh Festival of Letters 2011

CHANDIGARH SAHITYA AKADEMI

in collaboration with

PANJAB UNIVERSITY

cordially invites you to the

Inaugural session of the

CHANDIGARH FESTIVAL OF LETTERS 2011

on

28 February 2011 at 10.30 a.m.

Venue: English Auditorium, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Inaugural Address by Dr. KARAN SINGH

MP, Rajya Sabha

and President ICCR

Welcome Address by Professor R.C. SOBTI

Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University

DAY 1 28 January Friday	10.30 AM: Inaugural Session Welcome note by Vice-Chancellor, Prof RC Sobti Inaugural address by Dr. Karan Singh, MP Rajya Sabha, President ICCR Felicitation Ceremony – Awards of Recognition 2.00 PM: Keynote Address - Madhu Purnima Kishwar, Founder, Manushi Journal 2.45 PM: Face-to-Face with Creative Writers: Manjul Bajaj, Amandeep Sandhu, Alok Bhalla 4.15 PM: Press Interviews
DAY 2 29 January Saturday	(Celebrating the centenary of Agyeya, Nagarjuna and Shamsher Bahadur Singh) 11.00 AM: Lectures - Nand Kishore Acharya Lal Chand Gupt Mangal 2.00 PM: Paper Presentations: Archana Sharma Yojna Rawat Sudhir Kumar 3.30 PM: Book Launch: J.S. Grewal’s Four Centuries of Sikh Literature (OUP) 4.15 PM: Press Interviews
DAY 3 30 January Sunday	10.00 AM: (Paper Presentations by young scholars) Navreet, Jagmeet and Kirandeep 11.00 AM: Paper Presentations contd.: Susan Comfort on “Gender and Environment in Postcolonial Women's Literature” Mariam Karim-Ahlawat on “The Problematics of Translation” 12.15 PM: Talk - R.W. Desai on “The Relevance of Shakespeare Today” 2.00 PM: Literary Quiz (open to all) to be conducted by Anil Raina 4.00 PM: Press Interviews

Goshti - Jan 8

Date: 08.01.2011

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today organized a writers Goshti at the CSA Multipurpose Hall in the State library, Sector-34, Chandigarh. Attending the event were more than fifty creative writers of the city, some veterans and a few novices. Twelve poets read from their works in Hindi and Punjabi. Among the senior writers Dr. Shashi Prabha, Dr. Jaswant Singh and Avtar Singh presented their poems. Young Punjabi poet Sukhpreet, Ranjeet Sarpal, Manga Anjan, Ekam and Geetanjli impressed the audience with their poems. Dr. Jatinder Dutt compered this event with excellence. Madhav Kaushik, Secretary CSA highlighted the coming events and literary achievements of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi.