Guwahati: A ten-day festival of books and literature, Guwahati Literary Festival and Book Fair 2012, commenced in Assam’s main city Guwahati on Tuesday.
Promising to be a meeting ground of writers and readers from within and outside the state, the Festival has been organised by the state’s Prakashan Parishad.
Inaugurating the fair, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, “We have to inculcate reading habit by organising book fair in places where literacy percentage is abysmally low.”
Underscoring the need for spreading the light of knowledge, Mr Gogoi said, “Organising book fair in the nook and corner of the State, especially in remote areas is the best way to inculcate reading habit among the people to make the society knowledgeable.”
The chief minister said a vibrant and resilient society could be created through literary and cultural activities.
The Chief Minister urged the writers to play a pro-active role in bringing about a congenial atmosphere in the State and refrain from penning anything that escalates tension in society.
“You have the right to freedom of expression but you must do it with social responsibility. It should not create ill feelings and lead to aggravation of the situation,” he added.
The Chief Minister pointed out that Prakashan Parishad must translate the rich literary works of different communities into different languages.
Addressing the function, state Minister for Education and Chairman, Prakashan Parishad, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said the Parishad that has been organising the book fair since 1984 with few breaks in between.
They also added new features to the book fair by introducing the Literary Festival this year and holding competition for the best college magazine judged by the literary luminaries.
Dr Sarma said the Parishad would give away scholarships for purely 100 research works on art and culture soon.
Accepting the Lifetime Literary Award 2012 from the Chief Minister, eminent litterateur Dr. Lakshminanda Bora, in his acceptance speech, said, “I am elated to receive the award conferred upon me. I never consider myself to be a writer and my contribution pales into insignificance when compared to the galaxy of great literary luminaries the world has ever produced.”
Dr Bora said though there has been a proliferation of electronic gadgets and a boom in electronic media, the impact of the printed word would in no way lessen.
“The impact of the printed word would last forever,” Bora added. (Agencies)