Union minister inaugurates first Brahmaputra Literary Fest
Guwahati: The Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said the Union government stood firmly for freedom of thought and expressions in the society and called upon the litterateurs and authors to use their pen to build a culturally sound society.
Inaugurating the first Brahmaputra Literary Festival which is being held under the aegis of National Book Trust and Assam government, here at Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, Javadekar said the diversity and plurality of India defined the its essence and the ‘unity in diversity’ is the strength of the country.
He maintained that this cultural richness had sustained India as a nation and increased its chances of prospering further. The HRD minister appealed to writers to build a culturally and mentally sound society through their works by reflecting the truth of the times.
He also urged the children and young generation to inculcate a habit of reading and highlighted the importance of libraries in this regard.
Referring to the ‘dark days’ of Emergency, Javadekar said the current government was committed to preserve freedom of thought and expression.
Lauding the efforts of literary fests, he said such meetings are like ‘cultural investment meets’ and these must be encouraged.
Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in his speech, hoped that the state and its main rivers Brahmaputra and Barak, which have been harbingers of generations, will be highlighted by the visiting authors in their works.
International writers of repute Randy Taguchi, Mamang Dai and Damodar Mauzo and National Book Trust chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharma, among others, were present at the inaugural function.
Over 150 authors from India as well as abroad, including 16 authors from 10 countries, are participating in the Festival.
Foreign authors who are confirmed to participate in literary fest include Randy Taguchi of Japan, Selina Husain and Shaheen Akhtar from Bangladesh, Carlo Pizaati, Giampaolo Simi and Alessandra Bertini from Italy, Francois Gautier and Nicoloi Idier from France, Neal Hall from USA and Yugyen Tshering from Bhutan.
A few celebrities like Asha Parekh, Shatrughan Sinha and Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra will also participate in the festival in separate sessions to discuss their works. Besides the literary component, the other highlights of the Festival include film screenings, live music concerts, cultural programmes, activities for children, street theatre, LitMart, authors’ signing sessions and informal interactions with readers.
