JOIN USBreaking the language barriers
The audience were enthralled during the three day event divided into sessions which delved deep into the issue of Indian languages and their concerns in the present time.
Expressing concern over the vacuum of discussions and exposure to Indian languages and literature, Raj Liberham, director, India Habitat Centre says, “There is a lot of vacuum in terms of Indian languages which made us come up with Samanvay because ultimately the onus to spread the richness of Indian writings lies on us.”
Talking about the idea of organising a literary festival at a platform like India Habitat Centre, Raj says, “The motive was to bring together a combination of some of the best of young and experienced writers and poets and to make them acquainted with different literatures that exist in our country.”
The audience comprised of people from all genres and professions. Dr Santosh Singh, a professor of English at Delhi University, could not stop praising the Samanvay poster in specific, “The poster of Samanvay is in itself symbolic of national integration with the presence of all the languages.”
About the idea of showcasing all the Indian languages on the same platform, Santosh says, “It is like creating brotherhood and sisterhood among all the Indian languages. Though I am a professor of English yet I always feel the need for exposing our younger generation to all the Indian languages, as they are our cultural baggage and our most priced possession.”
One of the most loved sessions was ‘The Death of the Mushaira’, where a panel of Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Nida Fazli, Professor Sadique and Hasan Kamal as moderators, kept the audience enthralled and kept reiterating the phrase, “If you destroy language, language will destroy you!”
Sheikh Khairuddin, director of Living Opera, a theatre group, was left ecstatic by the programme which discussed all Indian languages. Sheikh says, “Being a writer and director, I have always felt the need for Indian languages and literature to be brought to the foray. It is high time that the Indian languages are revived and given importance or else we all will become bereft of our culture as well.”
Not only the literati but even people like Agha Jeelali, a lawyer at Supreme Court, feels the need for more such programmes. Agha says, “Language has no barriers. It is only the thought that matters. After attending the programme I realised that our Indian literature is so rich that it can surpass any national literature. This, therefore, does deserve its due credit and more programmes like these should be organised in future.”
After the sessions, there were performances by music group Chaar Yaar led by Madan Gopal Singh and qawwalis by Nizami Brothers.