BHUBANESWAR: Indian literature cannot be confined to writing in English. Regional literature actually presents a vast treasure of creative expressions, not only representing the wide spectrum of Indian culture and practices but also giving an authentic account of life and people of the country. However, though volumes of literature in vernacular languages are being produced every year, they hardly are promoted and given the recognition they deserve. There is an urgent need for widening the reach of regional literature by translating the works into different languages, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik emphasised the point, calling the two day-long Odisha Literary Festival 2014 (OLF), ‘path-breaking’ in its impact and reach.
Inaugurating the festival organised by The New Indian Express at Bhubaneswar Patnaik said this festival has become an example for exposing Odia literature and writers to a wider world. OLF has become a meeting point of creative minds of the state and country, providing a vibrant platform for exchange of ideas, he said. Bigger, better and more intense, the third edition of OLF, which has cemented a niche space in the cultural calendar of Odisha, brought together a galaxy of luminaries from fields of literature, art and culture, politics and journalism. Riveting sessions, debates and deliberations, interspersed with mesmerising acts of storytelling, music and dance, the festival proved every worth of its objective.
“OLF has grown in size and sphere within only three years. We have 13 sessions and 40 speakers this year when in 2012 we started off with nine sessions and 21 speakers. Last year there were 10 sessions and 29 speakers,” Prabhu Chawla, editorial director, The New Indian Express, said.
The first session on ‘Political literature: Does the kiss and tell model work?” turned out to be an edge-of-the-seat affair with the discussion centering on the phenomenon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The session virtually turned into a sparring match between widely recognised TV journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and journalist-turned-activist Madhu Kishwar as the former pointed towards a heavily polarised political discourse in the country after the ascendancy of Modi. While claiming that he was never anti-Modi, Rajdeep, whose book 2014: Election That Changed India was released by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said, “At the moment there is either a deification of Modi as if he is an avatar of Vishnu or demonisation as if he is Bhasmasur”. Kishwar, who wrote Modinama (2003) in which she was critical of the media for what she called their false propaganda about Narendra Modi, said the Prime Minister has been subjected to the worst kind of demonisation over the past 12 years. “A brigade has been created to vilify him and is still continuing,” she stated. The heated session moderated by Prabhu Chawla also saw former Union Minister Natwar Singh lending comic relief through anecdotes. His narration on how Chandraswami met Margaret Thatcher and turned her into a believer had the audience in splits. The first day saw brainstorming sessions like “Can literature change mindsets, especially about women,” with noted writer and Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray, Islamic scholar Maulana Mahmood Madani, Malayalee writer KR Meera and academic Monica Das speaking on the topic. It was followed by a very engrossing panel on ‘Reinterpreting the epics’ comprising economist Bibek Debroy, author Christopher Doyle, linguist B N Patnaik and Odia poet Hara Prasad Das.
Literary censorship and attempts to curb freedom of expression hogged centrestage at a later session on ‘Threat to independent writing’. Chaired by author and columnist Shankkar Aiyar, the eminent panelists comprising former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi, senior journalist Ashok Malik, Maulana Mahmood Madani and editor of Odia daily Sambad, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik stated that India had a long history of literary censorship which continues even to this day.
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan took charge of the culminating session of Day One, stating it was about time Odisha claimed its rightful place in the world with its vast natural, intellectual and cultural heritage. “The race which had forced history to change course by turning king Ashoka from Chandashoka to Dharmasoka, has vast resources and human, intellectual capital but was languishing at the bottom end of development,” he asserted in his native Odia. The session on “Tracing the Odia identity: Which medium does it best?” also had acclaimed writer Pratibha Ray, theatre activist Anant Mahapatra and Odishi danseuse Kumkum Mohanty, whose troupe also presented a enthralling dance routine to mark the end of the day.
There could not have been a better start to OLF day two than The Storywallahs’ Ameen Haque who transported a hall full of children, youngsters and adults into his magical world of stories. The characters came alive right in front of the eyes of the hundreds of school children as Haque used daastan–long-form storytelling in rich, poetic language, which he has made his unique style combining English, Hindi and Urdu.
The day saw sessions on ‘Business writing in India’, having bestselling author Rashmi Bansal in conversation with academic-author Pushpesh Pant ‘Writing for a visual medium’ with critically acclaimed filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda, diplomat-author Vikas Swarup and TV personality Lavlin Thadani on the panel and “Mapping India through prose” with ad guru V Sunil, author Ranendra, hotelier Aman Nath and journalist Kishalay Bhattacharjee stressing on abandoning stereotypes while describing India.
‘New voices in Indian literature’ had Kavita Kane, Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay and Satyarth Nayak revealing their evolution as writers and the trends in writing. The session was moderated by Odisha Government consultant for reading and founder of Bakul, Sujit Mahapatra. The penultimate session was geared at establishing a connect between literature and history as authors Rabisankar Bal, Sumedha Ojha, executive editor of New Indian Express Ravi Shankar Etteth and publisher Priya Kapoor of Roli Books held forth on ‘The author as a chronicler of history’. The parting shot was a show-stealing storytelling session by Ameen Haque of The Storywallahs, this time for adults. As OLF 2014 concluded, it left a lasting impression on young minds, leaving them inspired to read and write.
