Languages festival raises pitch for author interaction

The second edition of Samanvay, the India Habitat Centre Indian Languages’ Festival, began in the Capital on Friday. HT reports.

The second edition of Samanvay, the India Habitat Centre Indian Languages’ Festival, began in the Capital on Friday.

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Some of the most famous language authors shared their thoughts on the state of vernacular literature and the need for wider interaction.

Kannada poet and playwright Chandrasekhar Kambar said emotions and memories can be best expressed in one’s mother tongue. “Language of poetry is the language of folklores,” he said.

His point was endorsed by playwright and theatre director Ratan Thiyam. “Folk literature is the most powerful aspect of culture,” he said.

The first Samanvay Bhasha Samman was on Friday conferred upon the Odiya writer and poet, Sitakant Mahapatra. “There is need for a greater dialogue between Indian language authors, who are largely unaware of eachother’s work,” Mahapatra said in his acceptance speech. The R1-lakh award comes with a citation.

The events on Day One included a session, Purani Boli Naya Daur: Boli is Back!, where participants explored the return of dialects into the “mainstream”. Besides, there was a poetry recitation session and a performance by Shovana Narayan based on an episode from Maithili poet Vidyapati's life.

This year, the-three day festival will focus on eight Indian languages. “The idea behind the festival is to bring writers from different languages and highlight the heritages of Indian languages,” said festival director Raj Liberhan.