PANEL DISCUSSION ON CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
PANEL DISCUSSION ON CHILDREN'S LITERATUREThe Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a panel discussion on Children's Literature at its premises in the State Library, Sector 34.
The main speaker on the occasion was Dr Rama Rattan, a well-known name in Children's activities in the Tri-city. She spoke at length on the challenges facing writers of children's fiction and shared her first hand experience in the field. Prof Jaspal Kang, Professor, Panjab University Dept. of Correspondence courses, chaired the session. Other speakers included Yojana Rawat of Panjab University, Harpreet Dhiman who teaches in MCMDAV and also is an announcer All-India Radio (Chandigarh), and Navreet Sahi who is engaged in research in Children's Literature. Dr Rama Rattan higlighted the fact that even in children's literature there is a marked gender discrimination, for example, one cannot find 'lori' (lullaby) written for a girl child. She felt that it is time we took to promoting children's literature seriously. Dr Kaang, agreeing with the speaker, felt that "catch 'em young" should be the motto and we should, for an early age, help children develop a love for literature.

Harpreet Dhiman spoke of the popular tales of Tenali Raman, Akbar-Birbal and Mulla Nasiruddin. Navreet drew attention to best loved characters in children's literature and Yojana Rawat spoke of how children's literature has to adjust to a changed scenario in a globalized world.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, spoke of the various activities of the CSA. At present a team of editors is working on selecting and compiling Anthologies of Short Stories and Poems written by Chandigarh writers. Work has also commenced on updating a Directory of Chandigarh writers. In this connection the Akademi is offering stipends to volunteers who will serve as Data Collection Officers. Further, it was announced that the Akademi proposes to select an eminent writer for a Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominations were invited for this Award.

Today's Panel Discussion was a great success, judging from the large strength of the audience and the animated exchange of ideas that followed. It was a highly interactive session with a lot of involvement between the speakers and the audience. What made the event even more lively was a "Surprise Item" which comprised surprise gifts for those in the audience who were able to answer questions randomly thrown at them during the proceedings.

Mr Madhav Kaushik, Secretary of the CSA, ably conducted the discussion and summed it up with a vote of thanks.

The CSA events scheduled for January 2009 include presentations by two eminent persons – Professors BN Goswami and ML Raina on the 10th and 24th of January, respectively.

Le Clezio and Adiga

FIRST IMPRESSIONS, a discussion of the works of New Authors, was organized this evening by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. The authors discussed were the Nobel Laureate JEAN-MARIE GUSTAVE LE CLEZIO and the Booker Prize Winner ARAVIND ADIGA. The main Speakers on this occasion were Professor Meera Malik (of Panjab University) and Simar Onkar (of Great Books).The two writers discussed today were virtually unknown before they shot into the limelight following the prestigious awards they received. It is but natural that interested readers should be curious about their works. The Booker prize winner, who is known for his book The White Tiger, is a new entrant in the world of letters. As for the Nobel laureate, Le Clezio, even today not many of his books are available in translation.
Prof Meera Malik in her appraisal of The White Tiger spoke of the two diametrically opposite responses that Adiga has evoked among the reviewers. He has either been praised for giving expression to the till-now largely ignored working classes or dismissed for presenting a negative image of India to gain approbation from the Western audiences. She felt that it was too early to judge whether Adiga will move on from the status of a bestseller to becoming part of the canon of Indian literature in English. However, she felt that Adiga's novel was eminently readable.

Simar Onkar talked about the history and politics behind the Nobel Prize. He demystified the aura underlying the Nobel by arguing that it was Euro-centric and gender-biased. However, he felt that Le Clezio deserved the attention that he has been given, because of his cosmopolitan outlook, that has helped him explore civilizations and value systems beyond the dominant Western ones. The presentations were followed by a lively discussion.
Today's discussion was extremely informative as it was exploratory in its approach, opening up new horizons, treading upon new ground, and exploring the works of very new writers. The event was very well attended by literature enthusiasts. It was one more event in the series of literary discussions that are being conducted regularly by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi.

THE AKADEMI AT THE CARNIVAL

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi took part in the Chandigarh Carnival (22-23 Nov 2008). A Book Exhibition was organized and also a Literary Quiz.

The Exhibition comprised some of the Akademi's publications and also books by local writers. There were books of popular interest and a lot of reading material for children. The Akademi's stall was thronged with visitors through the two days.
The Literary Quiz was a great draw, too. It was compered by Anil Raina who was assisted by Anupam Nahar. Eight teams took part in the event which offered attractive cash prizes. The first prize went to the team from DAV College, the second prize to Govt College Sector 42, and the third prize to the Institute of Hotel Management.
Above is a picture of the Prize winners of the Quiz along with the organizers.

KAVI SAMMELAN

November 21, 2008
The National Integration Week beginning Nov 19, 2008, is being observed by the Chandigarh Administration.
The CSA hosted today a Multi-Lingual Kavi Sammelan at the Multipurpose Hall, Sector 34 Library. Local poets recited poems from different languages -- Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Kashmiri and English.

The evening was a great success. The auditorium was packed with an appreciative audience and the general mood was relaxed and cheerful. Most of the poems combined wit with levity.

The event was presided over by Dr Puneet Bedi, Principal, MCMDAV College for Women, Chandigarh, who is not just an educationist and administrator but also a creative writer.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

"First Impressions -- Introducing New Authors"

What happens when Nobel / Booker Prize Winners are announced? Invariably, the first reaction is -- Who's he? Never heard of him!!
So it has been this time, too. Not many had heard of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio before he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. And Aravind Adiga was nobody before he was shortlisted for the Man Booker.

So, who are these writers?

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi tries to answer this question on December 13, 2008. The main Speakers on this occasion will be Mr Simar Omkar (of Great Books) and Prof Meera Malik (of Panjab University).

All are invited to a discussion of the new names on the literary scene -- the Nobel Laureate for 2008, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, and Booker Prize Winner 2008, Aravind Adiga. (If you first read up something on these two writers, sure, you will find it a rewarding exercise!)

NOTE THE VENUE, DATE AND TIME :
Venue: Chandigarh Arts Council Auditorium, Sector 34 Library (1st Floor)
Date: December 13, 2008
Time: 3.30 pm

Talk by Professor from Oxford

NOTE ADDED ON DECEMBER 3, 2008:

Prof Giles Flew into India on Nov 26th. He landed at bombay and then took a flight to Kolkata where he was scheduled to give a keynote address at a conference. His other speaking engagements were in Varanasi (BHU), Delhi (Jamia) and Chandigarh (CSA, PU). However, with the Mumbai blasts taking place, his itinerary went askew, foreign travellers in India were seen to be vulnerable, and he was called back to UK. Cutting short his India visit, he took the next available plane to London.

THE EVENT LISTED BELOW FOR DEC 8TH STANDS CANCELLED!

So do his other engagements in India.

December 8, 2008: Prof Paul Giles from the Dept of English, Oxford University, will speak on "Contemporary Trends in Literature -- a British Perspective"
Venue: Chandigarh Arts Council Auditorium, 1st Floor, State Library, Sector 34.
Time: 3.30 pm.

Paul Giles is Professor of American Literature at the University of Oxford, UK. He has previously taught at the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham in the UK, and at Portland State University in Oregon, USA. He served as President of the International American Studies Association between 2005 and 2007, and also as Director of the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford between 2003 and 2008. Among his books are "Atlantic Republic: The American Tradition in English Literature" (OUP, 2006); "Virtual Americas: Transnational Fictions and the Transatlantic Imaginary" (Duke UP, 2002); "Transatlantic Insurrections: British Culture and the Formation of American Literature, 1730-1860" (Penn, 2001); "American catholic Arts and fictions: Culture, Ideology, Aesthetics" (CUP, 1992); "Hart Crane: The Contexts of "The Bridge" (CUP, 1986).

This talk will consider ways in which different cultural locations in British life--television, radio and journalism, as well as the academic world--produce different general expectations about literature. There will also be some consideration given to the role of literary prizes and marketing, and discussion of how definitions of "literature" have diverged markedly over the past twenty years for different kinds of readers. The talk will also consider how "extra-literary" trends are having an increasing cultural impact upon how literature is understood and consumed today.

HIND SWARAJ

In order to celebrate the Centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi's Hind Swaraj, the Sahitya Akademi organized a PANEL DISCUSSION on October 2, 2008.

The main speakers were Rashmi Sudha Puri (former Professor from the Gandhian Studies Dept, Panjab Univeristy) and Prof Sudhir Kumar from Panjab University. The session was chaired by Manju Jaidka, Chairperson of the CSA.