Marathi sahitya sammelan is a unique event. Today in Chandrapur more
than one lakh people will attend this litfest. It’s much better than JLF (Jaipur
Lit Fest) !
Source: @waglenikhil on
Twitter (Nikhil Wagle, Editior
IBN Lokmat), February 04, 2012
Noted litterateur and
president of the 85th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Vasant Dahake defended
the increasing use of English language, saying that it has become all the more
necessary in the changed global scenario.
Source: TNN, February 05,
2012
Against
the backdrop of the much-in-the-news Jaipur Literary Fest, news reports of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in the English media were few. This hugely successful
festival, attracting an audience of over one lakh people from the very
grassroots of Maharashtra, was given scant coverage by the media.
Liberal education, through
literature, languages, philosophy and history, is meant open our
minds to cultures foreign to us. The English literate Indian connoisseur laps
up not just English literature, but also translations of great European
classics- Greek, French, German, Russian etc. This, no doubt, is a good thing.
But, just as we discover foreign cultures through reading, should not Indian
regional literature be discovered by global readers?
India
has a very rich and varied literary tradition. In the ancient days, Ujjain
hosted the Sahitya Parishad under the leadership of Kalidasa, the poet,
and the patronage of King Budhagupta Vikramaditya Harsha (476-502 AD). Associations
of literary professionals were set up in the capitals of Pandya-Chola-Chera kingdoms of
South India as well as in Anuradhapura in Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). In
spite of such an illustrious history, Indian literature still remains to be
'discovered' and enjoyed globally.
All
great literature has been propagated by translations, eliciting interest in the
original language. Indian classics have strong storylines and excellent
narratives. We have a lot to offer to the world starved for original content.
But we lack universal reach, because our literature has not been translated
abundantly and distributed widely like most European literature has been.
Fortunately,
Indians are proficient in English, the language which has emerged as the most
widely used global medium of communication. We also have a large number of brilliant
Indian exponents of English literature. Translations of great regional Indian
literature by these writers, from their mother-tongues to English, will ensure
that the original flavour is retained. Moreover, with the kind of cultural
diversity that exists in our nation, we Indians will also be able enjoy the rich literature of regions other than our own.
A concerted effort needs to be made to promote Indian literature. The project must have state patronage. Writers need to be commissioned to undertake translations; corporate sponsorships must be sought for funding these commissions; international publishing houses must be roped in for distribution. The endeavour is an uphill task, but it must be undertaken as an essential obligation we have towards our cultures- that of being part of a universal heritage!
A concerted effort needs to be made to promote Indian literature. The project must have state patronage. Writers need to be commissioned to undertake translations; corporate sponsorships must be sought for funding these commissions; international publishing houses must be roped in for distribution. The endeavour is an uphill task, but it must be undertaken as an essential obligation we have towards our cultures- that of being part of a universal heritage!
Again
quoting Mahatma Gandhi, “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.”
© Sujata Khanna. All rights reserved.
