ITANAGAR, Nov 27 - The second edition of the Arunachal Literature Festival 2019, organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, in collaboration with Arunachal Pradesh Literature the Society (APLS), got under way today. It will offer live exchanges on a wide range of issues by a galaxy of writers, poets and authors from across the country and abroad at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Centre here.
The three-day literary festival with the tagline, �Building Bridges Through Literature�, features events like book exhibition, panel discussion, poetry recitation, painting competition and conversation sessions with favourite authors.
Attending the inaugural function as the chief guest, Arunachal Pradesh Public Health Engineering and Water Supply Minister Wangki Lowang said that the literary movement should grow from strength to strength to infuse a sense of love for literature among the young generation, adding that student unions and clan-based organisations mushrooming in the State need to focus on this aspect.
�We have orally transmitted literature, barring a few tribes which have their own scripts, and the onus lies on writers and members of the literary society to bring them in the form of books,� he added.
The minister also released the souvenir of the litfest along with other dignitaries.
Speaking as the guest of honour, noted Sri Lankan novelist Ashok Ferrey said that �there is something within us but we fail to recognise it, which we can extract when we open up to opportunities that come our way�.
Arunachal Pradesh IPR Secretary Himanshu Gupta, in his welcome address, said that the festival is celebrated to inculcate literary tastes among the people. Festival Director Denhang Bosai also spoke on the occasion.
The inaugural session was followed by a number of panel discussions involving distinguished writers. The first session at Amphitheatre-1, chaired by Anuja Chauhan with panellists Ashok Ferrey, Jerry Pinto and Leila Chudori, dwelt at length on the topic, �Writer�s Responsibility�, and the one with Samudra Gupta Kashyap with panellists Ramsharan Joshi and Balendu Dwivedi discussed elaborately on �Nationalism in present scenario�
The session at Amphitheatre-2, chaired by Dhruba Hazarika with panellists Bhuchung D Sonam and Kashyap, threw light on �Defining Location, Nation, Borders and Beyond�, and the one chaired by Dr M Venkateswar with panellists Prakash Mishra, Chandrakannta Mura Singh and Lalnungthangi Chhangte, presented a lively discussion on �North East As A Different Genre�.
