Asia's Biggest International Literary Fest UNMESHA Concludes

UNMESHA 2023, Asia's biggest four-day international literary festival concluded on Sunday on a grand note in presence of 160 litterateurs. On the final day, out of the 23 sessions and one screening, more than 10 sessions focused on important topics like 'Feminism and Literature', 'Value of Literature', 'Role of Books in Indian Independence Movement', 'Different Strokes'. 'Discussions on Epics of India', 'Challenges before Translators in Indian Languages', 'Cultural Heritage of India', 'Why Do I Write?', 'Publishing in Indian Languages', 'Soft Power of India' and 'Discussions on Unity in Diversity'.

The panel discussions were chaired by eminent scholars, critics, writers and thinkers such as Namita Gokhale, Hoshang Merchant, SL Bhyrappa, Vishwas Patil, Chittaranjan Mishra, Harekrishna Satapathy, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Kumud Sharma, Alok Bhalla, Sridhar Balan and TV Kattimani.

The rest of the sessions saw the participation of noted writers such as Mahadev Toppo, Madan Mohan Soren, Ramesh Arya, Vasant Nirgune, Surjit Patar, K Siva Reddy, Gourahari Das, Prayag Shukla, Bhupinder Aziz Parihar, Varsha Adalja, Mahua Maji, Nawang Tsering Shakspo and others. Writers in tribal languages such as Kurukh, Banjara, Gondi, Ho, Khasi, Kokborok, Kui, Nyishi, Santali, Bhili, Chhattisgarhi, Jaintia, Pardhi, Aandh, Bhumij, Halam, Lambani. Mog. and many others genuinely expressed their heart along with the writers in other languages

While speaking as the chair, Namita Gokhale opined that a true feminist always treats people of all gender equally. She threw light on the contribution of women writers of the past to the Indian literature. C. Mrunalini put the humane attributes of women at the forefront as she opined that humane identity should be counted first and then comes the femine identity. Leena Chandorkar emphasized the ability of women to face hurdles, which according to her is the trademark of powerful feminist. Preeti Shenoy focused on atrocities faced by women till today. Sonora Jha focused on the importance of teaching decorum at home as for her, it can teach the male section of society how to behave with the feminine gender from the very beginning.

This session on "Role of Books in Indian Independence Movement" had seven noted speakers, viz., Abdus Samad, Ashok Kumar Jha Avichal', Manoj Srivastava, Nanditesh Nilay, Prasen Bellamkonda, Ramdeo Shukla and Sachin Ketkar, with Kumud Sharma, Vice-President, Sahitya Akademi, in the chair. To get rid of the remnants of dependence, it is necessary to keep the cultural consciousness awake, observed Kumud Sharma while chairing the session. She spoke in detail about those books which aroused nationalism among the Indian public during the Independence Movement. Ashok Kumar Jha Avichal' focused on the role of magazines such as Bengal Gazette and books such as Gita in the Indian Independence Movement. Manoj Srivastava spoke on the influence of Gita and other such books in giving enthusiasm to the freedom fighter. While emphasizing on the role of poetry in inspiring freedom fighters. Prasen Bellamkonda focused on the culture of banning of books during freedom movement. Ramdeo Shukla focused on the ways literature provided freedom fighters necessary strength to fight against the colonial powers. While speaking on the role of books in encouraging freedom fighters, Sachin Ketkar focused on the role of printing press in this context as due to it, the circulation of nationalistic writings increased by leaps and bounds.