By Our Spl Correspondent
Shillong: The Shillong Creative Arts, Literature And Music (CALM) Festival enters its second year.
This time the Festival scheduled for 9-11 May, 2013 will see book launches by authors from the North East and outside the region.
Speaking to The Shillong Times, owner of ‘Sahaki Bookmark,’ Sambha Lamar who is the co-organiser along with the East Khasi Hills District Administration, informed that CALM would also include sessions on photography and creative writing. A musical nite and a stand up comedy show are amongst the other exciting events, she said.
Notable participants will include Jerry Pinto, poet and novelist, whose book EM and the BIG HOOM has already created a buzz.
Internationally acclaimed actor Victor Banerjee, former Penguin publisher and novelist David Davidar will grace the occasion this time. Three noted poets and novelists Temsula Ao, Mamang Dai and Mitra Phukan will be part of this year’s CALM Fest.
In keeping with the spirit of the Festival which aims to inculcate the reading habit among youth and to encourage them to take up writing as a vocation, the organisers have also included debating and discussion sessions for them. There will also be a series of panel discussions on poetry, Khasi rites and customs, Naga customs and culture etc.
Also included in the discussion forums are subjects on the travails of writers desiring to publish books, old age homes and their necessity, Shillong then and now, mental health and other current topics for all age groups. Panel discussions will follow book launches.
This time former Home Minister RG Lyngdoh’s coffee table book of poems embellished with photographs and titled A Point of View will also be launched. A panel discussion on the theme ‘Poetry Does Not Sell!’ will follow this launch.
Another book on Shillong which records memorable anecdotes on Shillong and personal memories seeped in nostalgia, written by Parmarsan Thangkhiew is also set to be launched followed by a chat on Shillong Then And Now.
This time the organisers have included a discussion on ‘Old Age Homes’ and whether they are a necessity in this State. The discussion will revolve around the erosion of family and social mores and enquire why several elderly people with children are landing up at homes of the aged like ‘Mercy Home’ etc.
Another challenge in Meghalaya is the growing numbers of youth suffering from mental health leading to depression and the increase in the number of suicides. The theme of this section is, ‘Mental Health’, its diagnosis and possible remedies. The CALM Festival aims at creating a cultural revolution and environmental consciousness through creative arts, through writing, debates and discussions.
“The idea is to make young people think beyond social networking, virtual relationships, gaming and other power games and to encourage them to think independently and creatively,” Ms Lamar added.
This year while the Festival focuses on youth, it also consciously celebrates the services rendered by Senior Citizens, and the cultural ethos that has been Shillong’s marker.
Said Ananya Guha, member Organising Committee, “These days literary and cultural festivals use polemics and create controversies, a la Jaipur Litfest, the panel discussions in CALM 2013 are more sedate and topical and will generate new thinking amidst the creative and aesthetic ambiance.”