African Literature and more

CSA event on 21^st October 2012

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi held a three-tiered session today at the UT Guest House. The invited speakers were Dr Veena Sharma, independent scholar and Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla; Shri Gyan Prakas Vivek, celebrated poet and novelist in Hindi; and Ms Neena Sahai, amateur photographer and artist who writes poetry and has also published.

Dr Veena Sharma, who is an independent scholar with expertise on African literature and culture, gave a baroad-based yet incisive talk on African Literature which emerged from the rich oral traditions of the Dark Continent. The literature of the region, according to Dr Sharma who has a PhD from JNU and has been a Fellow at the IIAS, Shimla, is intimately related to the oral traditions on the one hand, and also to humiliation suffered by Africa under the colonial rule. She spoke of racialism and the harsh colonial policies of the French, the British and the Portuguese which led to the first literary movement called Negritude. Which actually was a celebration of black colour.

Dr Sharma invoked African symbols like Sankota (return to the past – ‘go back and get it’), Nwe Mu Dua (measuring stick) and Siamese crocodiles (which symbolize solidarity, the idea of ‘one for many, many for one’). She mentioned the sense of community. That is strong in Africa and comes across prominently in the literature. Dr Sharma, like the traditional African ‘Malimu’ or teacher / leader in African culture, opened up new ground for the CSA audience to explore and appreciate.

Gyan Prakash Vivek, who is an acclaimed poet and novelist, spoke at length about his recent novel, “Chai ka Doosra Cup”. This is a book that revolves around the aftermath and the sad plight of children who, in large numbers, supposedly get lost every year. What happens to these hapless innocents? Aks the author. Some of them get roped into the flesh trade, others are exploited by a heartless society; their body parts are sold for mercenary gains, like organ transplantation.

For the world, however, a lost child is reduced to just another statistical figure in the files of missing people that gather dust in government offices. For their families the trauma is unmitigated. Gyan Prakash’s novel tries to capture the various aspects of the loss and sorrow, the gloom of the families and the utter callousness of an indifferent society.  Devdutt, his protagonist, whose son gets lost, is at his wits’ end and does not know how to reconcile to his loss. Gyan Prakash’s story, revolving around the sad plight of the father, reached out to the audience that responded whole-heartedly to the reading.

Ms NeenaSahai is an enthusiastic photographer. She has spent much of her life accompanying her diplomat husband, Paramjeet Sahai, on various postings all over the world. Her experiences in far-flung places such as Washinton DC, Singapore, Zambia, Malawi, Yemen, Moscow, Switzerland and Malaysia have been captured in her camera. Last year she put these photographs together along with a detailed commentary and brought out a delightful coffee-table illustrated travelogue appropriately entitled “Journeys Diplomatic and Artisitc”.

In today’s session Ms Sahai spoke at length about her lifelong passion for photography, her varied experiences in foreign lands, and her new-found love for poetry. This was followed by a slideshow of her photographs. “With silent eyes I watch the world go by,” says a line in her poem. Ms Sahai has not only watched the world go by but also participated actively in the world and frozen its myriad moods with the lens of her camera. This was an unusual session, a heady mix of creativity and autobiography and the audience much appreciated the visual treat.

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi has, by now, a more or less regular audience that attends all its events enthusiastically. Events slated in the near future will be announced on the CSA blog and Facebook. Photographs will be uploaded on the Facebook.

Ru-ba-ru with Parminderjeet

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi this evening organized a Ru-ba-ru with the eminent Punjabi poet, Parminderjeet this evening at the UT Guest House. The event was attended by a large number of prominent writers of the city. Parminderjeet, who has made a name for himself not only in poetry but also in the field of literary journalism, is the celebrated editor of the Punjabi patrika, "Akhar" which he has been publishing since 1975. The magazine can rightly boast of an impressive clientele with subscribers of the highest stature in the field of letters. Some of contributors are well-known names like Gulzar and the late Amrita Pritam.

 This evening, Parminderjeet regaled the audience with an impassioned account of his journey as writer and publisher, the various milestones and hurdles he encountered, and the final satisfaction that is now his. He spoke at length on poetry and what he considers a good poem. In his opinion, every poem must have its own music and rhythm which comes only after the poet undergoes rigorous discipline and practice. Although free verse is popular now, in the poet's opinion it is harder to write because the tools that are available in rhymed poetry are not used and the writer has to depend on his / her own ingenuity to bring in the poetic effect. Parminderjeet concluded the session by reading some of his poems to great applause. In particular, his poem entitled "Shukranama" was much appreciated.

 This evening's session was chaired by Shri KK Rattu, Dairector of Doordarshan, Chandigarh, who commented on the achievements of Parminderjeet at the end of an animated Q & A session. Office-bearers of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi who interacted with the audience included the Secretary Shri Madhav Kaushik, Vice-Chairman Anil Raina, and Chairperson Manju Jaidka. It was announced that the next CSA event is likely to be a major one in the third week of October. Link for photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/105464712099114161998/29September2012

Tri-lingual Kavi Darbar

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi this evening organized a Tri-Lingual Kavi Darbar at Hotel Parkview. Invited poets from outside the city were Amarnath Amar from Delhi, Kumar Vinod from Kurukshetra, Darshan Butar from Nabha, and Jagvinder Jodha from Jalandhar. Among the local poets, Shrimati Taaran Gujral stole the show with her recitation. A senior citizen, Taaran Gujral has been writing poetry in Punjabi for many decades. Gifted with a melodious voice, she sings her poems, the way she did this evening, much to the delight of the audience. She was the first poet to come to the podium and her unhurried recitation of exquisite poetry in her mellifluous voice cast a spell on the audience, setting the tone for the rest of the evening. Ashk Amritsari, another veteran poet from the city who writes in Punjabi and Urdu, held forth with poetry that was a blend of humour, emotion and vigour. His enthusiasm reached out to the audience. Between the two senior poets, Taaran and Ashk, it was clear that old is still gold and that Chandigarh poets have their own place in the world of letters! Jagvinder Jodha from Jalandhar is a young poet whose has been awarded for his Punjabi poetry. It is evident that this young man has a lot of talent and is likely to go far in literary circles. His youthful exuberance, combined with his budding talent, endeared his to all. Kumar Vinod writes in Hindi. He is widely published poet although his formal training is in Mathematics: he teaches maths at Kurukshetra University. Written in a simple style with no pretensions, Vinod’s poetry is the kind that may be appreciated by the young and the old. There is rhythm in his verse, meter presented through catchy images. His are short and sweet poems written in an epigrammatic style. Darshan Butar has brought a new sensibility into Punjabi poetry. A banker by profession, he has been writing poetry of a high order. His poetry is of a serious nature and from the response of the audience it was evident that he is very popular among Punjabi litterateurs. Amarnath Amar works for Doordarshan where he in charge of literary sessions. His is a noted name that has received several awards like the Ganesh Shankar Puruskar and the Mailthli Sharan Gupt Award. His books are prescribed in various syllabi. This evening he recited and also sang some of his poems. This evening’s session was remarkable in that not only do the selected poets have talent, they are all excellent orators. By all standards it was a memorable evening. Present in the gathering were noted critics, academics, poets and writers including N.S. Ratan, Sushil Dosanjh, Rajinder Kaur, Indu Bali, Balvinder Sandhu, Deepak Manmohan, Bhupinder Brar, and Rajiv Lochan. Shri K.K. Sharma, Adviser to the Administrator, Union Territory, presided over the event which was brilliantly compered by Madhav Kaushik, the secretary of the Akademi. Prof Manju Jaidka, Chairperson, addressed the gathering, briefly outlining the aims and objectives of CSA. She exhorted the audience to continue its support of CSA activities. Prof Anil Raina, who has recently taken over as Vice-Chairman of CSA and has been associated with its activities over the last four years, was also present at the Kavi Sammelan and interacted with the poets as well as the audience. Photographs of the event

KATHA GOSHTHI 4 AUG 2012

CHANDIGARH SAH ITYA AKADEMI ORGANIZES KATHA GOSHTHI 4TH August 2012 Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi today organized a Katha Goshthi. Three local writers were invited to read their short fiction and interact with the audience. Subhash Sharma, who retired as a senior audit officer, is a well-known Punjabi short story writer who has published three anthologies of fiction, “Plot Mil Gaya,” “Mallah” and “Ashtiyaan”. He has earlier received an award from the NZCC for his creative writing. He read a story entitled “Bhatti” which effectively recreated a rural scene from the interior of Punjab, showing the changes that take place with the passage of time. Rajinder Kanaujia is a medical doctor by profession. He has published more than half a dozen books of poetry and prose in Hindi. His stories have been published in various leading national journals. He has also been awarded a publication subsidy by the National Sahitya Akademi as well as the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. His stories and short plays have been broadcast over the Doordarshan and Akashvani. His story entitled “Jantar Mantar” was well-appreciated by the audience. Based on a very contemporary theme, using irony and a subtle humour, it spoke of the movement spear-headed by Anna Hazare. Renu Behl writes in Urdu and her work has received a lot of appreciation. The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi recently gave her an award for her unpublished manuscript which has since then been published. Earlier she has published four collections of short stories, two of which have been awarded by the UP Urdu Akademi. The story she read today was called “Kabza”. Today’s event was a continuation of the monthly goshthis that the CSA has been holdin in order to promote literature and creativity in the city. The event was ably compered by Shri Madhav Kaushik. The Chairperson of CSA, Manju Jaidka, invited more such writers from the city to come forward and share their writings with fellow writers.

Call for Unpublished Manuscripts

The CSA invites city-based writers (working or residing in Chandigarh) to submit unpublished book-length manuscripts of short stories, poetry, plays 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 June 30, 2012. Length of manuscripts: Novels / short stories: 30,000 words to 60,000 words Poetry: 70 - 90 pages Plays: 30 - 50 pages (printed / typed)

ANNUAL ROUND-UP MAY 2012

Thank you for your encouragement and support. We hope that those of you who attended the event enjoyed the get-together and the talk delivered by our visitor from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ana Mauad, Prof of Visual History. For the information of those who could not attend, today's event was a great success. The turnout was was sizable and the enthusiasm of the audience was evident. Shri Pawan Bansal, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, presided over the Annual Round-Up and released a brochure showcasing all the year-long activities of the CSA. Shri KK Sharma, Adviser, was present right through the program. His mingled with the audience and showed a genuine concern for the activities of the Akademi. Shri Diwan Manna, Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi, chaired the Prof Mauad's talk on "A Common Concern: the Photographs of Genevieve Naylor and Sabastiao Salgado". Hers was a powerpoint presentation that explored the connection between two celebrated photographers a generation apart from each other; she highlighted the manner in which they bonded with the region, and their compassion for the common mass of humanity. Commenting on the presentation, Manna placed the subject in the Indian context, drawing a connection with well-known names like Rahgu Rai and others. Chairperson of the Akademi, Prof Manju Jaidka, made a powerpoint presentation, highlighting the activities of the CSA over the last one year. These have been listed, along with relevant photographs, in the brochure that was released today. Shri Pawan Bansal released recently published books awarded Grants-in-Aid by the CSA. The award winners, namely Manoj Tiwari, Surendra Kumar, Rajendra Kumar Kanaujia, Sanjiv Suri Sahil, Sant Ram, Hema Sharma, and Renu Bahl, were felicitated by the minister and also by the adviser. Overall, it was an an exceptionally successful event that brought together a cross-section of Chandigarh residents, the old and the young, interested in books, reading and writing. Shr Pawan Bansal appreciated the efforts of the Akademi and felt that more needs to be done on a bigger scale, bringing the people back to the precincts of the library, re-creating the romance of the printed book and the love for story-telling. He promised to extend all possible help to the CSA towards asset-building. Unlike many dignitaries who are always pressed for time, the chief guests of today seemed relaxed and unhurried. Even after the event they mingled with the crowds, thus endearing themselves to one and all. So, friends, thank you for being with us. And those who were not with us, we missed you, we sure did. We have some more events in the pipeline, but let the scorching summer heat beat its retreat. Wee will, hopefully, meet again when the clouds begin to rumble over the lower Shivaliks, when the peacocks begin to dance in the Morni Hills, and when harbingers of the long-awaited rains bring an end to more mundane woes, to water and power outages, and the rest. Until then, Ciao, Ciao, folks! Namastey, Sat-sri-akal. Always yours, we remain the CSA Pictures of todays events will soon be online. Checkout our FB and Blog and stay tuned.

Dickens and More

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi a 3-tiered session on 6 May 2012 at the UT Guest House. The speakers of the day were Profs Susan Morgan and Eric Goodman, visiting briefly from the US, and Vivek Atray, well-known writer and bureaucrat from Chandigarh. Susan Morgan, who is a Distinguished Professor of English at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, has published widely and traveled around the globe on academic visits. During the course of her travels she grew fascinated with the story of the brilliant Anna Leonowens who has been immortalized in the You Brynner film “The King and I”. Probing deep into available resources, Morgan discovered new information on Anna that has eluded researchers for years. These findings were published in her book entitled “Bombay Anna”. In her talk today, Prof Morgan went into details of Anna’s life and adventures across the globe, from UK to India, Australia, Thailand, America and Canada. Her stint as the governess of the children of the King of Siam has been recorded in “Anna and the King” which became an iconic film, the main source of information on Siam and its people. Anna Leonowens traveled all over the world, witnessed some of the most fascinating events of the Age of Empire, and became a well-known travel writer, journalist, teacher, and lecturer. Eric Goodman, professor of creative writing and novelist, discussed the importance of place and the challenges of writing about race and the unspoken and sometimes unsavory secrets of our hearts. His fifth novel, “Twelfth and Race” – from which he read excerpts – speaks of the story of a mixed race couple, Richard Gordon and LaTisha Nelson, set against the backdrop of race riots in a fictional Midwestern metropolis, Calhoun City, Missouri. The novel, published in early March has been receiving very enthusiastic reviews. Goodman’s work has been awarded three Ohio Arts Council fellowships and residencies at the Headland Center for the Arts, the Ragdale Foundation and MacDowell. Vivek Atray, author of the recent novel “Move on Bunny,” made a powerpoint presentation highlighting the life and achievements of Charles Dickens who was born 200 years ago and continues to be a great favorite among readers of all ages and times. The presentation was very well-received and members of the audience showed their keenness to share their own experience of the Dickens’ magic. Chairperson of the CSA, Manju Jaidka, announced that the day’s event was a part of the annual Summer Bonanza that the Akademi organizes in the month of May. The second part of the bonanza will take place on 27th of May which will also present the annual round-up for 2011-2012. Today’s event was greatly appreciated by a hall packed to its fullest capacity by an enthusiastic audience. The general consensus was that the CSA has succeeded in making a difference to the cultural and intellectual life of the city. Link for pics:https://picasaweb.google.com/105464712099114161998/SusanEricDickens