CSA’s SPRING
CELEBRATIONS 20-22 Feb 2015
ON DAY ONE:
There is a
spate of activities in the city these days and Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi,
always in the forefront, is holding its “Spring Celebrations” at the Govt.
Museum Auditorium in Sector 10, spread over three days, 20th to 22nd
Feb 2015. The theme is “Literature and Society” and the first day of the
celebrations began with an inaugural address by Prof Tej Nath Dhar’s lecture on “Literature and
Human Values”, an in-depth, well-grounded analysis of what the impact of
literature is on human life, how does it help mould and shape our existence,
what kind of literature do we like to read and why.
Tej
N Dhar,
who was introduced by the CSA Vice-Chairman, Anil Raina, has held teaching
positions in Universities in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Asmara, where he
was also Dean of the Faculty of Arts until January 2007. Widely published in India and abroad, he is
the author of several books including Under
the Shadow of Militancy: the Diary of an Unknown Kashmiri (Rupa 2002; rpt.
2004). His lecture inspired a lot of animated discussion.
Prof Dhar’s
talk was followed by an engaging session on “The role of Humour in Our Lives”.
The discussants were well-known humour writers, Shinie Antony and G. Sampath. The
two were in conversation with Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of CSA.
Shinie Antony has written two books of short fiction, two
novels, and compiled two anthologies. Her books include Barefoot
and Pregnant, When Mira Went Forth and Multiplied and Why We Don't Talk. Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Asia region
prize in 2003, she is the director of the Bangalore Literature Festival.
G
Sampath
is a Delhi-based writer and a columnist with Livemint. He is the author of How
To Make Enemies and Offend People, a best-selling collection of non-fiction
humour. His satirical columns, political commentary, and cultural criticism
have appeared in Daily News and Analysis
(DNA), Mint and First Post. He was the Books Editor at DNA for seven years.
This was the
first ‘humour’ event organized by the CSA. Judging from its impact on the
audience, perhaps more will follow!
DAY TWO:
The second
day of the 3-day programme comprised a poetry session chaired by Sh. BN Goswamy
who, as we all know, is a man of varied talents. The session featured poets
Ramendra Jakhu from the city, Aziz Hajini from Srinagar, and Rajeshwari
Pandharipande, visiting from the USA, now on a short assignment at JNU. The
poets kept the audience enthralled with their poetry written mainly in Urdu and
Hindi.
The evening began with Aziz
Hajini who is a well known writer and poet. The author of many books, he
did his Ph D from the University of Kashmir. As the Convenor (Kashmiri) of
Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, he has played a vital role in introduction of
Kashmiri language in government schools. He is the basic member of
Halaqa-e-Adab Hajin (Sonawari). He
began the session with a discussion on the importance of the mother-tongue, informing
the audience that today happens to be International Mother-tongue day. In
particular, he gave the example of Kashmiri language which is facing
extinction. It is very essential for an individual to be groomed in the mother
tongue so that he/she may develop into a complete human being. Hajini then
recited some of his poems to an appreciative audience, beginning with some
Kashmiri verses, going on to Hindi and Urdu poems.
Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande is Professor
Emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a permanent
member of South Asia Committee, University of Chicago. A scholar poet, she
has published extensively. Her original poetry is published in Never is a Longtime and Anya Hindi Kavitaaen (1987) and
Kagaz kaa panchii aur sapanon kii naav (2015). She is of the opinion
that we live on several planes simultaneously and life, being forever in a
state of flux, places us in different contexts, familiarizing us with newer
ways of life and new language societies. In such circumstances, Rajeshwari
feels that bilingualism, or even multilingualism, should not surprise us. One
may be loyal to and proficient in more than a single language. This was amply
demonstrated in the poems she recited which were evidence of her dexterity in
Hindi, English as well as Sanskrit, a language she has majored in. Her poems,
some of them short and simple, are strong in visual images, whether the subject
is the moon or something intangible like a half-felt emotion.
Ramendra
Jakhu
is a former administrator (Chief Secretary) whose love for poetry is
well-known. He has been described as a bureaucrat, poet and lyricist, all
rolled into one. The author of several collections of verse, Jakhu has
presented his poems in Hindi and Urdu at mushairas in India and abroad. Jakhu
talked about how he came to poetry, taking his first tentative steps in verse,
and then gradually moving on with greater confidence, taking up poetry as his
hobby. He humbly gives all credit to his wife, Shakuntala who is also a senior
civil servant, for inspiring him and encouraging him along the literary path. His
thought-provoking poems like “Yeh achanak nahi hua” and “Dhund” were went down
very well with the audience. “Negro kaho ya harijan, kya fark padta hai?” –
some of his poems struck an emotional chord in the listeners as they targeted
social ills that we are all too familiar with, focusing on caste, color, race,
etc. “Tukdon main jo kabool ho who dosti nahi…” is how he winded up his
recitation.
Professor BN Goswamy,
who is a well-known and much-loved personality in the city, chaired the
session. Not only is he an art historian, he is also deeply steeped in
literature, familiar with the best of poetry written in Hindi and Urdu. In his
concluding remarks, with great sensitivity, he recited off the cuff lines from
several well-known poets, much to the delight of the audience. He believes that
poetry is that which helps us combat life and nothingness. His concluding
remarks were most appropriate, being full of poetic imagery – flowers and petals,
dewdrops and mist, sunbeams and the play of light.
Overall it was a
memorable session, the credit for which goes to CSA. It was generally felt that
the Akademi is doing praiseworthy work in the city.
The Spring
Celebrations will continue on Sunday, 22nd
February, at 4pm, at the Govt Museum Auditorium in Sector 10.
The third day
of the Spring Celebrations will feature Manjula Rana reading her short fiction
in Hindi, and Jaswinder Singh who has recently been awarded by the Sahitya
Akademi for his contribution to Punjabi literature.
Warm wishes
from
Chandigarh Sahitya
Akademi
