Neither time nor age, has withered well-known Punjabi writer Ajeet Cour’s enthusiasm for promoting peace and fellowship in the South Asian region through literature. This is evident, as her brainchild, the South Asian Literature Festival (SALF), which started in 1987 is now an important event of the literary calendar.
Recalling the SALF’s genesis, Cour says, “It started with the aim to improve our strained relationship with Pakistan. I thought of using literature to have a dialogue at an intellectual level and bridge the divide while emphasising on the common heritage and legacy we share.” Thirteen years after its inception, the festival went on to include South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries, namely, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. “We renamed it as SALF, as Pakistan is not participating since last two years,” observes Cour.
With “Humanism, Togetherness and Peace” as its theme, this year’s three-day festival is expected to have widespread participation – 17 delegates from Afghanistan, 25 from Bangladesh, 13 from Maldives, 15 from Sri Lanka, four from Bhutan, 15 from Nepal and 25 from India. “Such initiatives are imperative in this violence-prone region to allow interaction among literary persons and its dissemination among people, through fiction, poetry, articles, etc,” avers Cour.
Agreeing with her, well-known Kannada poet, playwright and folklorist, Chandrashekhara Kambara, President, Sahitya Akademi, feels SALF will prove beneficial for vernacular writers and poets too. “Besides spreading awareness about the region, participants will get a chance to present their language and culture, thus giving a much-needed fillip to regional writing.” According to him, “the overemphasis on English has led to the downfall of the regional languages. Regional writers and poets find it extremely difficult to sustain.” Kambara feels making “local languages as the medium of instruction in schools will spur their growth.”
Poet Dr. Ezhil Vendhan, who writes in Tamil and English, cites his own example while describing the impediments vernacular writers face. “I could pursue writing because of my steady job and income. All my teachers and well-wishers advised me to do so to follow my passion for writing. The same situation prevails even today as Tamil writers and poets survive by working in the cinema industry or writing in magazines, journals, etc. as sale of books is not remunerative.”
Lamenting the state of vernacular writing, Dr. Amarendra Khatua, who writes in Oriya, Hindi, English and Spanish, feels the domination of English in written and cyber world needs to be countered through Government and public effort. “Every year at least 10 best regional works should be translated in Hindi and English, to allow readers across the country become familiar with Indian literature. More organisations like Katha should be promoted to encourage translation.”
Discussing vernacular writing, both Kambara and Vendhan too stress on the importance of translators in making them accessible and popular. “It is the penmanship of translators that gives one a chance to know about literary figures and their works of other languages,” says Vendhan. Kambara remarks, “Translation goes a long way in promoting local languages. Take the example of my plays such as ‘Mahamayi’, ‘Jokumar Swamy’, ‘Sirisampige’ among others which have been translated into Hindi, Bangla, Tamil and other languages and staged many times.”
Dr. A.J. Thomas, who writes English poetry and is proficient in translating from Malayalam to English, hails SALF. “Translation enables us to know and enjoy literary diversity of the region in this festival. SALF celebrates translation albeit implicitly.” Pointing out the raw deal meted out to translators in terms of recognition and remuneration, he underscores the need to foster the culture of translation. “Publicly appreciating translation of his works, Gabriel Garcia Marquez had once said that they were better than the original and reached a wider audience, while making money for him!”
As a measure to stimulate translation Dr. Khatua suggests that “it needs to be recognised as a specialised skill, giving it a status of an art form at par with original writing and introducing it as a part of academics. This will truly give the much needed push to vernacular literature,” he observes.
The South Asian Literature Festival will be inaugurated at India International Centre, New Delhi today, and continues at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, Siri Fort Institutional Area, New Delhi on October 19 and 20, 2019
