Voices from the City

You are cordially invited to listen to VOICES FROM THE CITY (our very own poets) in a Tri-lingual Kavi Sammelan.

Venue: Hotel Parkview, Sector 24
Date and time: Sunday, 15 September. 5.30 pm,

Join us, please! Bring your friends and family along.
...And stay on for refreshments after the event.

Nida Fazli

CSA’S EVENING WITH NIDA FAZLI. 18 Aug 2013

 

“Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahaan nahi milta

kahin zami to kahin aasmaa nahi milta.”

“Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya
Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai
Ishq Ki Jaye Phir Samajhiye
Zindagi Kya Cheez Hai….”

“Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein shameel hai

jahan bhi jaun yeh lagta hai teri mehfil hai….”

Immortal lyrics, these! We have been humming them for quite a while now. So much so that they have become part of our day-to-lives. So how do we react when the composer of these verses decides to visit our city? We throng in large numbers to get perhaps a fleeting glimpse of the man who has said so much on our behalf, so much love, emotion, pain and ecstasy in the most appropriate, in the barest minimum words!

This is exactly what happened today when Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a session with the Urdu poet lyricist Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, popularly known as Nida Fazli, who has been writing verses for almost half a decade now.  At the UT Guest House the hall overflowed with listeners who listened with rapt attention as Nida Fazli recited poem after poem, one doha after another, ghazal after ghazal. He was quite unstoppable. When the torrent of poetry stopped the audience would not let him go. They engaged him in a lively conversation, not just about his poetry but also on wide-ranging topics, from the language used by poets to the politicization of literature, from the literature of partition to the commercial aspects of lyricism today. Nida Fazli, being the seasoned veteran and expert public orator that he is, remained unfazed as he engaged with the audience.

Mr Fazli is an extremely well-read man. He makes frequent references to Amir Khusrau, to T.S. Eliot, Wordsworth, Whitman and other writers from across the globe. At the same time he comes across as well-rooted in Indian culture and tradition, bonding strongly with the aam aadmi, the common man rather than the privileged classes. He is a man deeply committed to literature and repeatedly emphasized the need to respect men of letters. The worth of a society, according to him may be measured by the respect it shows to its writers. He does not believe in barriers that divide man from man. On the contrary, he is convinced of a common human spirit pervading mankind, no matter what religion and background one hails from.

'Duniya jise kehte hain jaadu kaa Khilona hai

Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai'.

The evening had a certain magic about it: the golden halo of poetic creativity that surrounded the poet seemed to expand and grow to such an extent that it enveloped the entire audience sitting in the hall and also spilling out of it. There was a bonding between the speaker and the listeners which lingered long after the session came to an end.

Some photographs of the session are attached. Others will soon be available on CSA’s FB and Blog.

Arun Shourie's Book

Arun Shourie on his book:

He is a man who calls a spade a spade. He is not afraid of ruffling feathers. He has been there, done that and has no regrets. A man with a deep sense of commitment who does not believe in living in delusions: that is Arun Shourie for you. 

Dr Arun Shourie was in the city on an invitation from the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. A PhD in economics, he is well known as a statesman and journalist but this morning he donned another mantel and spoke to an extremely receptive audience as writer: a man who has been through intense suffering and emerged as a strong and noble soul. Shourie is the father of a special child and the spouse of one who suffers from a debilitating Parkinson's disease. What is it like being trapped in such circumstances and how does one cope? He survives and keeps going with the help of a positive approach to life. He is not afraid of talking about his experiences, relating them to wider issues, reaching out to the world beyond his immediate circle. 

In his address today Dr Shourie remained focused on his book Does He Know a Mother's Heart? that begins with private pain but transcends to a public plane as the author shifts his attention to theology and religion. If there is a all-knowing God the father, he asks, why does he make his children suffer? Why does he cause them pain? Why does he punish them, torture them, crush them under piles and piles of suffering? There are no answers to these questions but we human beings, seeking a momentary stay against pain and grief, hang on to the abstract concept of an omnipotent deity.

So what is his advice to those who are faced with similar situations? Arun Shourie lists a few practical steps. Help others, he says, particularly those who are unable to return your favours; focus on the essentials, not on trivia; never look for reasons or for a purpose behind your suffering (for there is no design, no purpose); do not lapse into self-pity; do not be under the delusion of reprieve for fore will be none; above all, accept your situation cheerfully. Sounds like easy advice but Arun Shourie has actually been practising all this over the last three decades and more, ever since the birth of his son, the special child. 

The audience listened spell-bound to Shourie. It was evident that he had touched a sensitive spot in the hearts of all those who were present. When he finished there was a barrage of questions for him, asking him practical advise on the everyday management of suffering. With wit, humour and infinite patience, Dr Shourie responded to their queries. He further mentioned that he is now working on a book on spirituality and mysticism, exploring the many things that are beyond the ken of the human brain.

 

The session was organized under the auspices of the Chandigarh Heritage week being held in the city. Tomorrow (on 18th August) CSA will hold a session with the poet-lyricist Nida Fazli at the UT Guest House at 5.45 pm.

Photographs of this morning's session with Arun Shourie will soon be posted on the CSA blog and Facebook.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
CHANDIGARH HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi invites you to a special session with the
statesman, leader, journalist and writer whom we all know so well 

ARUN SHOURIE 

the author of Does He Know a Mother's Heart?
will speak of writing as a therapeutic process
on 17 August 2013
at 10.45 AM 

AND

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi 
invites you to a special session with the
POET AND LYRICIST

NIDA FAZLI 
on 18 August 2013
at 5.45 PM 

Venue for both events: UT Guest House
Sector 6
Chandigarh

Join us, please!

Kavita Rim Jhim

KAVITA RIMJHIM

Chandiagarh Sahitya Akademi this morning organized a poetry session interestingly titled “Kavita Rimjhim” in keeping with the monsoon conditions. It rained poetry at UT Guest House where the audience in a packed conference hall was treated to verses in four different languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and English.felicitated by the Akademi, B. Madan Mohan who hails from Yamunanagar and writes poetry and fiction in Hindi, and Roshanlal Sharma who is equally versatile in English and in Hindi. The session was chaired by the veteran writer, Prof Virendra Mehendiratta, ably conducted by the secretary of CSA, Madhav Kaushik.

Shri Ram Arsh, the seniormost poet, recited his poems in Punjabi and Urdu. His poems glossed over various themes, mainly people-centric, several of them shot through with gentle humour. For example, “Teri zulfon ki tarah hoti toh suljha leta, / Meri zindagi toh uljhi hai jataon ki tarah.”

Roshanlal Sharma read some poems in English and in Hindi. He may justly be called a nature poet; his verses hovered over themes related to the monsoon: the clouds and the rain, the gentle winds and the gushing rivers. Extending these ideas to human relationships, he evoked the passions that rage in the human heart.

B. Madan Mohan began with his poems on “aam aadmi”, the common man and deprived children in the streets. He recited extempore, his verses seemingly emerging from the depths of his heart. His sequence of love poems, “Saathi Pehli Baar” was greatly appreciated, as was his children’s poetry culled from his forthcoming collection “Gubbarey ki Udaan.”

In his concluding remarks, Virendra Mehendiratta praised the efforts of the CSA in transforming the city into a literary hub. The Chairperson of CSA, Manju Jaidka, thanked the audience for being supportive, announced that some more interesting programmes are slated in the coming weeks, information of which will soon be circulated on Facebook and Blog. Photographs of today’s function are posted on Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/chandigarhsahitya.akademi/posts/695198000497277

Unpublished Manuscripts

The CSA invites city-based writers (working or residing in Chandigarh) to submit unpublished book-length manuscripts in Hindi, English, Punjabi or Urdu. Some funding is available for Grants-in-aid and the best entries would be given financial assistance for publication. 

The following categories will be considered:Poetry 

• Short Fiction
• Novel
• Play
• Children's Literature

Entries may be submitted at the Chd Sahitya Akademi office on the 1st floor of the State Library, Sector 34. Deadline for submission is August 30, 2013. Length of manuscripts: Novels / short stories: 30,000 words to 60,000 words Poetry: 70 - 90 pages Plays: 30 - 50 pages (printed / typed)

MAYTIME MEHFIL

Thank you to those who came!

Those who didn;t -- we missed you!

CSA

REPORT OF TODAY’S EVENT:

MAY-TIME MEHFIL: CREATIVITY AND MORE

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today held yet another literary event at the UT Guest House. It was an impressive gathering of litterateurs, academicians and poetry enthusiasts. Intellectual exchange took place in a multi-lingual form, through different languages: some English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. In addition to three writers in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, there was a fourth invited guest, a scholar of Sanskrit who spoke in English about the language of computers. So, in all the event was one that brought together many languages, human as well as machine.

Narendra Mohan is a well-known writer who has written a lot of poetry and drama. He talked about his creative journey, punctuating the account with anecdotes and remembered incidents from the past. His presentation was highly appreciated as he read in his gentle sonorous voice. Tracing the graph of his experiences through the ages, he talked about the difficult times of his youth, the partition days and his personal traumas. A recurrent image in his work is that of a dancer. The writer, according to Mohan, is one who would like the world to understand the rhythms that move him and make him dance. Invariably, however, the music to which he sways remains unheard by others and the writer is left dancing solo.

Krishan Kumar Toor, another noted writer who practices his art in the Urdu language, talked about writing ghazals, a genre to which he has dedicated his entire life, and recited several of his compositions. Toor has won several awards for his writing and is the editor of an Urdu poetry journal. His poetry is remarkable for its simplicity directness. The Urdu that he uses is a mix of Hindustani, so it is easily comprehended. Interspersed with aphorisms, he regaled the audience with his wit and verse.

Gurtej Koharwala hails from Ferozepur where he teaches Punjabi in a local college. He is a young man who has been writing poetry for almost two decades now; he has made a niche for himself and his poems are invariably included in all anthologies of contemporary Punjabi poetry.  Letting the poetry speak for itself, Gurtej recited his poems to a riveted gathering. He writes poetry with a purpose and it seems to emerge straight from his heart, with no artifice.

The fourth speaker today was Girish Nath Jha, associate professor at the special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU, Delhi, where he teaches Computational Linguistics. Girish has a Master’s degree in Natural Language Interface from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, a PhD in Machine Translation, and has been a software engineer in the US for four years before joining JNU. He made a very powerful presentation on the use of Information Technology for the promotion of Language and Literature, making the audience aware of how the internet is being used and how software is being developed by his school for transliteration, so as to enable knowledge-sharing and transfer of information from one language to another. The subject is very new and there is a lot of scope for future development. Girish pointed out the road that literature is likely to take in the coming times.

Today’s event, with four different speakers using as many as seven different

languages, was greatly appreciated by all. From the effusive reactions of the audience, it was obvious, that Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi events are not only popular but also informative and much-awaited.

Chairperson Manju Jaidka, Vice-Chairman Anil Raina and Secretary Madhav Kaushik interacted freely with the audience, thanked everyone for the continued support and assured them that CSA would continue to hold literary events of a high order.

Link for pics will be uploaded on FB and Blog.

2  pics are attached herewith.

Chairperson, CSA