Maha kavya evam Lok Kavya

"Maha Kavya Evam Lok Kavya" - a literary event devoted to the Mahabharata and to the folk traditions of Himachal and Haryana, was held today by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi.

The key speaker was Dr Jesse Knutson from the US who is presently on an extended academic visit to India. He is a scholar of Sanskrit literature at the University of California, Berkley. Knutson made an enthralling presentation on the "Mahabharata", focusing on the inbuilt contradictions and antinomies of the text. Taking up the mahakavya from three different angles -- dharma, kaal, and yoga, he highlighted the complexities of the text and stressed that the Mahabharata is not just an Indian epic, it belongs to the tradition of world literature and may be regarded as a global text as it cuts across geographical boundaries. The talk generated a lot of interest and several noted scholars from the audience engaged in an animated conversation with Knutson. Chairing the session was Prof Surinder Sharma, a well-known and versatile figure in literary circles.

There were two other speakers, Prof Meenakshi Paul from Shimla who spoke on the folk traditions of Himachal, and Dr Karan Singh from Haryana who made a presentation on the folk songs of Haryana. Both these speakers have been engaged in primary research at the grassroots level and they shared their findings with an enthralled audience. Drs Mukta and Chander Trikha chaired the two sessions. Taking part in the discussion were Prof Ramesh Kuntal Megh, Dr Kalia 'Humdum', Prof Vikram Viveki, Mrs Jasbir Kaur, Lalita Jagmohan, and others. Madhav Kaushik, Secretary of CSA, steered the discussion deftly through various important issues.

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi is thus engaged in bringing literature to the people through various speakers from within and outside the city. it has made a difference to the literary and cultural life of the people by holding programmes at regular intervals. The Chairperson, Prof Manju Jaidka, announced forthcoming activities: on 13th August a Mushaira will be held, on 3rd Sept a Hasya Kavi sammelan. On a smaller scale, a goshti will be organized on 20th August. Details will be posted on the CSA Face Book and Blog. Interested people may thus keep track.

Photographs are available on this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/reorder?uname=sahitakad2008&aid=5635117706054969249

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi

GN DEVY

Prof G.N. Devy is quite an institution. With his quiet demeanor and low-profile but high intellectualism he makes an impact every time he addresses an audience. This evening's talk on "Aphasia and Amnesia: Contemporary Creative Expression in India" was no exception!

Prof Devy is a renowned activist campaigning for the preservation and revitalization of threatened languages and human rights activism for indigenous peoples (known as adivasis) and nomadic communities in India. He has been working in this field for the last two decades and more. His talk was focused on the so-called tribal languages of India. However, he clarified right in the beginning that languages cannot be tribal and that there is a political agenda behind labeling them thus.

Devy is concerned with the rapidly disappearing dialects of India. Less than half a century ago, it was recorded that there were more than 1600 languages spoken but within the span of ten years the number dropped to 109. This happened not because people stopped speaking the language but because politically it was not feasible to count them all as separate languages. This is what has happened throughout history. Under the colonial rule many of our languages were silenced: they were subjected to 'aphasia'. Later, under the colonizers, amnesia set in and our own languages were forgotten. This was an unfortunate development. Dialects, according to Devy, should be encouraged if we want our languages to continue growing in a healthy manner.

Prior to his talk Prof Devy interacted with local writers and discussed the various dialects of the Punjab, Puadhi, Malwi, etc. Manmohan Daon, Nirupama Dutt, Prem Vij, Anirudh Joshi,Madhav Kaushik and others well-known litterateurs discussed several language-related issues with him.

It was, indeed, a pleasure listening to Prof Devy who exemplifies in himself what a true scholar should be. He is low-profile, humble and down-to-earth. He has travelled the world over, been the recipient of coveted awards, but his hallmark is his humility. He reminds us that one need not use a high flown language, jargonized vocabulary or obtuse logic to make a mark. A genuine scholar can reach out to his audience without any such humbug. Like Prof Devy, he makes a difference, is understood and appreciated.

Goshti - 28 May 2011

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi held its monthly Goshti this evening at Panjab University, Sector 14. Ten city writers read their poems in Hindi, Punjabi and English.

Harbans Singh Tasawur's book on Qurratulain Hyder was released by Dr. Darshan Singh, eminent critic and Professor Emeritus, who assessed the contribution of the noted Urdu writer and also spoke at length on the finer aspects of Urdu and Punjabi literature.

Among the younger city poets who made their debut today were Ms Nikha Kumar, Jagtar Singh Deol and vishal Monga. Their poems were greatly appreciated. There were also senior poets who recited their poems.

Monthly goshtis are a regular feature of the CSA's events and they cater especially to the local talent, giving a platform to the young and the old, faciliatating interaction amongst the writers of the city. Today's event was attended by a sizable gathering of literature lovers, several of whom wish to share their work with the audience te next time.

The Chairperson, Prof Manju Jaidka announced that the next such get-together would be held in July. Shri Madhav Kaushik, the Secretary of CSA who has now been appointed the convenor of the hindi board of the National Sahitya Akademi, assisted the Chairperson in making the evening a success.

Summer Bonanza day 2

The Summer Bonanza organized by Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi concluded this afternoon. Although the 'star' speaker of the vent, Deepti Naval the actress, failed to turn up, the remaining sessions were held successfully, much to the satisfaction of the organizers and the audience.

Manju Kapur, the celebrated writer of novels like Difficult Daughters and the recentCustody, held the listeners riveted to a scintillating conversation with the vivacious Aradhika Sharma who quizzed her about her books, her likes and dislikes, and her work habits. Ms Kapur read excerpts from one of her books and explained how her books are committed to women's issues.

A panel discussion on "Literature in a Globalized Context" brought together four eminent writers /scholars in an animated discussion with Madhav Kaushik and Manju Jaidka. Prof Harish Narang, speaking on the subject, drew attention to web literature, thanks to which the total concept of literature in contemporary times

has undergone a change. Prof Alok bhalla joined the discussion with a reference to the need for emerging from provincial chauvinism that gnaws into the vitals of our society. Anirudh Joshi struck a different note and mentioned that there are unignorable pockets of society untouched by computers or by the internet. Atamjit gave examples from Punjabi literature, stressing on the need for translation. All these views were rounded off deftly by the secretary of CSA, Madhav Kaushik.

The session was followed by the Annual Round-Up of the activities of the CSA and saw the release of a illustrated brochure recording the events and landmarks of the year that has ended. Prizes for printed books were given to four city writers who had submitted their books for the competition. Narinder Pal Singh Komal received the prize for Punjabi fiction, Manoj Tiwari for his Hindi novel. The prize for Hindi Poetry went to Rajendra Nishesh, and for Hindi Short Stories to Jaswinder Sharma.

The Round-Up marked the culmination of the year's activities and ended with the audience praising the effort

s of the CSA, appreciating its role in bringing zest to the intellectual life of Chandigarh.

Pictures of the event online:

https://picasaweb.google.com/sahitakad2008/SummerBonanza2?authkey=Gv1sRgCNmI7ozy-5nZZA#

Day 1- Summer Bonanza

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi is holding a Summer Bonanza at the UT Guest House. Sessions spread over two days include a panel discussion, creativity sessions, meet-the-author events, a commemorative session on Shiv Batalvi to mark his death anniversary, and the annual round-up of the CSA

Today's events began with a session devoted to Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Dr Yograj Angrish, who teaches Punjabi at the Panjab University, spoke on the contribution of the talented poet to Panjabi literature. the session was chaired by Shri CR Maudgil who has headed the Punjabi Sahitya Akademi of Haryana. The audience took an active part in the discussion that followed, with several people reminiscing their personal experiences with Batalvi.

In another session, the Oriya writer, JP Das, who has had an illustrious career and received several notable awards including the Sahitya Akademi Award, spoke of his works -- poetry, plays, fiction and translation -- in conversation with the Academic and critic GK Das.

Vishvjit Singh, who hails from the royal family of Kapurthala and has been a member of the Indian parliament, is also a sensitive writer and has recently published his Hindi poetry, "Kuchh Shabd Kuchh Lakeerein". He was in conversation with Nirupama Dutt in a Face-to-Face session. Raj Chengappa, Editor in Chief of The Tribune, chaired the session.

The final session of the day unfolded creativity and brought together invited and local writers who made brief presentations of their writing. Harish Narang and Alok Bhalla, better known for their critical and academic work, are also skilled translators and creative writers. While Narang read a short story, Bhalla read some powerful poems based on his experience of Jerusalem. Other poets who read their poems in the session included Vijay Kapoor, Roshan Sharma, Gurpreet Kaur, Geetanjali Bhagat, Aradhika Sharma, and Reenu Talwar.

On the second day of the Bonanza, i.e., the 8th of May, the noted writer Manju Kapur will be in conversation with Aradhika Sharma. There will be a panel discussion on Literature in a Globalized Context. This will be followed by the grand finale of the Bonanza, the Annual Round-Up of the CSA's activities in 2010-2011.

Photos of the event: https://picasaweb.google.com/sahitakad2008/SummerBonanza1?authkey=Gv1sRgCMWDv-2Snof6-QE#

Amber Habshi

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today held a play reading at the CSA Auditorium in Sector 34.

Dr Narendra Mohan, has been a professor of Hindi and is a well-known name in literary circles. He read from his new play, “Amber Habshi” to a select gathering of literature and theatre lovers. He has published several plays which have been translated into different languages and performed to great acclaim. Dr Mohan's reading was in tandem with the theatre thespian Prof Harish Bhatia who also read portions of the play.

The eponymous hero of the play, Malik Amber, was a historical figure born in Ethiopia, sold into slavery in Baghdad. His master, Mir Qasim brought him to Ahmednagar. Later Amber rose to the post of the Prime Minister of the Deccan Empire under Ahmed Shahi and fought against the Moghuls. He was secular in his outlook and considered himself a staunch Indian.

Madhav Kaushik, Secretary of the CSA compered the event. The Chairperson, Manju Jaidka, also addressed the gqathering and expressed her appreciation of the playwright. Further, she announced that a major CSA event is round the corner. On the 7^th and 8^th of May CSA will hold a “Summer Bonanza” in which several noted litterateurs will participate. Details will be posted on CSA's Facebook and Blog.

April 9, 2011. Goshti

The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today held its monthly Goshti at its Mini-Auditorium in Sector 34. Altogether 19 poets, young and old, participated in the event which brought together several literature enthusiasts. Some of the participants in the Goshti were debut poets who came to the stage for the first time while others were veterans in the field.

Diljit Singh Kaiffy's book comprising paintings and poetry, entitled "Poornima" was released by Dr Atamjit who praised the young artist-poet's endeavor. Other poets whose poems were highly appreciated included Puneeta Bawa, Narinder Thakur, Anil Kumar, Geetanjali Bhagat, Reena Talwar and Aradhika Sharma.

Today's event was tri-lingual. It was part of the Akademi's venture to promote literature in the city, to bring people back to the love of the book, and to encourage a bonhomie amongst the established and emerging writers of Chandigarh who usually tend to work in isolation. These events have become popular of late and several participants flock to the city from other places to attend CSA's events. This evening one of the participants, Vivek Sachdeva, had come from Delhi especially to take part in the Goshti.

The next event of the CSA s a play-reading by Narendra Mohan on 16th April, again at the CSA's Audtorium. The title of the play is "Ambar Habshi" and the reading will begin at 4pm.

Thereafter, on 7th and 8th of May, a bigger event, the "Summer Bonanza" will be held at the UT Guest House. It will bring together several noted personalities, poets and writers, including
Deepti Naval and Manju Kapur. Further details will be circulated on CSA's Facebook and Blog.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=100000212495273&aid=68206