SILCHAR, Jan 20 - Anuvad, the three-day translation festival organised by The Minimalist Studios, a group of young entrepreneurs in association with the Samayik Prasanga Publications ended amidst various attractive events on Monday. The festival was held at the amphitheatre of the Children�s Park here.
The event was a first of its kind festival of discussions on translation comprising literature, drama, photography and film and visual art forms, organised in Barak Valley. It saw a wide range of writers, artists, translators, journalists and academicians from across the country and abroad delving deep into some relevant issues.
On the concluding day, Tousif Raja Choudhury, director of The Minimalist Studios, said that the response to the maiden attempt has been phenomenal. He added to say that �translations pave the way for cultural exchange. The festival was aimed at integrating the practice of translation by diverse communities which are integral part of the rich cultural legacy of the country.�
Well-known translators V Ramaswami, Shashi Kumar, Jhanvi Achrekar, Rangili Biswas and Prof Kazim Ali spoke on the varied dimensions of translation.
Apart from the reading sessions and discussions, the festival on translation also had competitive events on photography, music, painting and short filmmaking for the students of colleges and universities.
Earlier, the festival began with the third Prof Purushottam Lal Memorial Lecture delivered by Dr Ananya S Guha, renowned poet and senior academic in IGNOU, Shillong. Paying his tribute to Prof Lal, Dr Guha said �the man was an institution in himself� and has left an indelible mark towards the development of Indian writings in English.
Speaking about poetry, Dr Guha said that the essential thing about poetry is anonymity. Referring to the turbulent times in the Northeast, Dr Guha said that young poets were writing about their own people, their native lands and the turmoil of the time, heralding a new dimension in the genre.
Erotext a book by Sudip Sen was also released in the festival. Prof Rumi Naqvi, faculty member of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Nabanita Kanungo, faculty member, Department of Geography, Assam University (Diphu Campus), Prof Asmita Boral from Shibpur, Taimur Raja Choudhury, editor of Samayik Prasanga and poet-journalist Dibyojyoti Sharma were present on the occasion.
