Mamang Dai’s ‘Legends of Pensam’ receives huge applause
NAMSAI, 4 Nov: Day 2 of the 4th edition of the Aruna-chal Literature Festival witnessed a series of events, such as poetry recitations, short story reading sessions, and intellectually stimulating deliberations on various socio-cultural topics.
Moderated by Meethesh Nirmohi and Rati Saxena, over 20 poets recited their poems over two sessions, while in the short story reading session, moderated by novelist and publisher David Davidar, six participants read out their stories. One of the participants, Bondi Tao, presented “a visual animation of his story on tribal culture and social distancing practices prevalent among various tribes of the state,” the DIPR informed in a release.
Dedicated to his late wife, the story was based on a mythological folklore of the Nyishi community.
Simultaneously, in a discussion session on ‘Crossing boundaries through translation’, moderated by Dr Santosh Patel, participants Dr Santosh Kumar and Jyotirmoy Prodhani highlighted the importance of how translation is both a science and an art and is a medium of breaking barriers, making it global, going beyond culture.
They spoke about how “all of us are unconsciously master translators, depending on the context and the people we are surrounded by in day-to-day life.” They also highlighted how translation is an art of storytelling, mindful of the cultural nuances.
During a session on ‘Environment for preservation of Arunachal language’, participants Dr Arti Pathak, Sengkum Mossang, Dr Kusum Madhuri Toppo and Lardik Kare spoke on the significance of certain key social agents in creating an environment to sustain a culture for the preservation of Arunachal language, emphasising more on the key stakeholders – mainly parents, the government, village heads, local political parties, schools, as well the individuals themselves – joining hands.
Moderated by Dr Wanglit Mongchan, the panellist in their discussion highlighted the dire need to preserve one’s roots and at the same time embrace change in today’s world.
Later, in the afternoon session on ‘Writing for children: The joys and difficulties’, moderated by Divik Ramesh, participants Geeta Dharmarajan, Devendra Mewari and Satyanarayan Mundayur emphasised that “the challenge is not only to write for children but in terms of accessibility of those who write books to reach every child across the country through large movement of volunteerism in the absence of the schools contribution.”
The second day of the festival also witnessed a ‘meet the author’ session, during which Mitra Phukan and Davidar discussed the latter’s experiences as an editor, an author and a publisher in a career spanning 35 years.
Addressing the audience, especially the students, Davidar advised them to take up reading to develop an inclination towards writing.
In yet another session, on ‘Book discussion on Padma Shri Mamang Dai’s book Legends of Pensam’, panellists Jyotirmoy Prodhani and Ravi Singh were all appreciation for the book, terming it “a lyrical and moving tribute to the human spirit,” and adding that “the author has beautifully painted a memorable portrait of a land that is in particular and universal,” the DIPR said.
