“What is the role of literature in this era of death and violence, inhuman craving for sex and bloodbath, total indifference and ignorance? I do not know,” said poet and social activist Sugathakumari, in a poetic speech delivered on Saturday.
She was inaugurating the North-East and Southern Writers’ Meet organised here by the Sahitya Akademi.
“I feel I am a misfit, that I am but an invisible shadow in this gaudily illuminated marketplace we call our land,” she said. Addressing fellow-writers from the northeastern States, she said, “I feel a rumble of hopelessness behind our words.”
There was a time when their visions of the future were bright and colourful, and their voices echoed long and loud, she said, adding that now, their voices are feeble and ineffective, and though they were trying hard to become visible, they were not.
Ms. Sugathakumari apologised to the gathering, saying she had nothing positive and pleasant to share with them. Nonetheless, she wished them ‘glorious dreams, power in their hearts, tears of love and kindness in your eyes, and sharp white lightning in their senses’.
The gathering was also addressed by writer A. Sethumadhavan, who exhorted the writers to strive to protect their indigenous languages. This is a major challenge, especially for the writers from the northeastern States, he said, given that the maximum number of languages facing extinction are in the said region.
K. Srinivasarao, secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, said the organisation was focussed on aiding writers in facing this challenge, through its North-East Centre for Oral Literature in Imphal.
Manipuri writer Thounaojam Chanu Ibemhal was the guest of honour at the ceremony. The two-day session will feature poetry recitals and discussions featuring writers of various languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Banjara, Bodo, and Manipuri.
