Gandhi and Tagore

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today organized a two-tiered program to pay homage to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Coupled with it was a homage to another great intellectual and visionary, Rabindranath Tagore.

Shri Vishanath Prasad Tiwari, well-known critic and man of letters who is also the Vice-Chairman of the national Sahitya Akademi, delivered an extremely lucid and well-informed talk on "Gandhian Philosophy in Contemporary Times". This was followed by another scintillating and impassioned discourse on "The Environmental Philosophy of Tagore" by Mina Surjit Singh, Emeritus Fellow at the Dept of English, Panjab University. Chairing the event was Prof Anirudh Joshi, eminent professor and critic who is well-versed in Sanskrit literature as well as Indian literary traditions.

Shri Tiwari set the tone of his talk with a comparison between Gandhi and Christ. Then he referred to Gandhian philosophy vis a vis Karl Marx, focusing on the fact that Gandhian thought is unique because it is characterized by non-violence, compassion and truth. Gandhi became popular because he drew his beliefs from tradition and from mass culture, adapting them to his political agenda. This is the reason why his philosophy spread through the world, crossing all boundaries of time and space. Tiwari discussed in detail Gandhi's ideas on civilization as distinct from progress and the manner in which he upheld the axiom of simple living, high thinking.

Mina Surjit Singh discussed the work of Tagore as a mystic, transcendentalist and romantic, highlighting the areas which overlapped with Gandhian thought. She referred to the clash of the two giants on divergent views and explored the connecction between science and spirituality. Tagore was able to see the interconnectedness in all spheres of life and this is what made him the great thinker that he is acclaimed to be.

Drawing upon the main points presented by the two speakers, Prof Anirudh Joshi further elaborated upon the connection between the phinking of the Mahatma and the poet.The three speakers of the day held forth on the subject and held the audience mesmerized. Madhav Kaushik, Secretary of CSA, comered the event and Manju Jaidka, Chairperson, in her vote of thanks informed the audience of upcoming events, urging greater participation of the people of Chandigarh.

Over the last three years the CSA has been working diligently, offering interesting and intellectually stimulating fare to the city and its activities are eagerly awaited, as may be judged by the enthusiastic crowd that regularly attends all events.

Among the on-going activities is the Grants-in-Aid that will be announced shortly, a Quiz that will be held at the Carnival in November, and the 3rd Chandigarh Festival of Letters in February 2012.

Indeed, a lot of interesting happenings to look out for!

Photographs of today's events may be downloaded from this link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/105464712099114161998/GandhiTagore?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHdy5-empePygE#

Chairperson

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi

Obituary - Shri Gursharan Singh ji

CSA places on record its sense of deep loss at the demise of the eminent city writer and playwright, Shri Gursharan Singh ji. His absence will be acutely felt in all the literary circles of the region. May his soul rest in peace!
Two years ago CSA gave him an Award of Recognition for his life-long contribution to literature.

VYANGA GOSHTHI

A VYANGA GOSHTHI was organized this evening at the CSA Audi, State Library, Sector 34, Chandigarh. The Chief Participant was Prem Janmejai (from Delhi) while the local participants were Jasvinder Sharma, Rajinder Nishesh, and Prem Vij.

Janmejai teaches at Delhi University and brings out a magazine called “Vyanga YAtra. HE has been a Visiting Professor at the University of West Indies and published more than twelve collections of satires.

Jaswinder Sharma has authored eight books, including one by Penguin. He is a recipient of the Haryana Sahitya Akademi award as well as the Chandigarh sahitya Akademi award for his writing.
Rajinder Nishesh has composed seven books on vyanga, two poetry collections and two books for children. National Book Trust is bringing out his collection of poems.

Prem Vij is a writer and journalist, the author of a dozen books including two on vyanga. He is the recipient of the Panjab State Award for his literary contribution.

Today’s speakers chose to focus on political themes, electioneering, democracy and red-tapism. In his presidential remarks Dr Prem Janmejai spoke of the present scenario of Hindi satire and read a satirical piece that spoke of Doordarshan in the times of Shri Ramchandra. He is of the opinion that the satirist should not descend to the level of slapstick. On the contrary, combining wit with intelligence and a concern for society, the satirist can do much to reform the world he lives in.

Madhav Kaushik, Secretary, CSA, compered the event deftly, pointing out that satire should heal even as it attcaks the vices of the society.

Chairperson of CSA, Prof Manju Jaidka, thanked the speakers and informed the audience that the next CSA event would celebrate Gandhi Jayanti. Information will be posted on the blog and Facebook.

Goshthi - 27 Aug 2011

MONTHLY GOSHTHI. 27 Sept 2011

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized its monthly Goshthi this evening at the CSA Auditorium, Sector 34, Chandigarh.

These monthly sessions are important events in which local talent is showcased. Budding poets as well as seasoned writers are given a forum where they share their literary endeavors with others. New voices blend with the old and the result is harmonious medley.

Those who read from their works this evening included Jaswant S. "Alokar', Puneeta Bawa, Bhupinder Singh, Geetanjali Bhagat, Nikha Kumar, Deepak Khetarpal, Ashwani Shandilya, Nidheesh Tyagi, Vandana Shukla, Manmohan Singh Mitwa , Mandeep Mann and Musavvir Firozpuri. The event was compered by Dr Tejpal Chawla who, along with his wife, also sang some of his poems in the traditional Punjabi folk style.

The Chairperson of CSA, Prof Manju Jaidka, announced that the next event would be a "Vyanga Goshthi" on 3rd Sept at the same venue, same time 4 to 6 pm). Details would be posted on the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi's Blog and Facebook.

CALL FOR MANUSCRIPTS: The CSA has invited city-based writers to submit unpublished book-length manuscripts of short stories, poetry and novels 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.

Entries may be submitted at the Chd Sahitya Akademi office on the 1st floor of the State Library, Sector 34. Deadline for submission is September 30, 2011.

Kavi Darbar

KAVI DARBAR

Amid the festivities and exuberance of the monsoon season, combined with auspicious occasions like Raksha Bandhan and Independence day, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi organized a Tri-lingual Mushaira at the Hotel Parkview in Chandigarh. Fifteen poets reciting their verse in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi regaled an enthralled audience through the evening.

Invited poets who hailed from outside Chandigarh were Uday Bhanu Hans ( from Hissar), Yogendra Nath Sharma "Arun" (Roorkee), Gyan Prakash Vivek (Bahadurgarh), Amarnath Amar (Delhi), and Naseem Baichain (Delhi). Local Poets from the tricity included well-known names like Chaman Lal, T.N. Raaz
Shashi Prabha, Manjit Indira, Amarjit Amar, Yojana Rawat and Urmil Sakhi. In addition, Mrs Mukta, Director of the Haryana Sahitya akademi, Shri Sukhchain Singh bhandari, who has recently taken over as the Director, Haryana Punjabi Akademi, and Shri Jaggan Nath the visually challenged Principal of the local Blind School, also participated to great applause extempore in the event.

Despite the inclement weather, major traffic snarls on the highways and other hurdles encountered, participants who came from outside the city were able to reach in time for the Kavi Darbar and their contribution was greatly appreciated. The poems recited ranged widely in themes, from patriotic fervor to personal relationships and social issues, from focusing on maternal love to denouncing the corrupt politics prevailing in the country.

Photos of the event may be seet at https://picasaweb.google.com/105464712099114161998/KaviDarbar13aug2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJrvqfS_--GI9wE

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi has been diligently organizing literary events in the city and it is widely appreciated for the high quality of its invited participants. Along with such high-profile events it also holds monthly Goshtis in which budding poets are encouraged to participate along with senior writers.

THE NEXT GOSHTI OF THE AKADEMI will take place on Saturday, 27th August from 4pm to 6pm. The venue will be the mini-auditorium of the Akademi, on the first floor of the State Library in Sector 34. Those desirous of sharing their writing with others at the Goshti should send an email to sahitakad2008@gmail.com by 20th August 2011 along with the piece they wish to read. By the 24th the final program will be drawn and conveyed to all. No invitation cards are sent for Goshtis but relevant information is placed on the Blog and Facebook. Those interested may take appropriate action.

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.