PVPF 2024

Arunachal Literature Festival Kicks off Its Celebration on 3rd November

on Nov 04, 2022

The department of information & public relations (DIPR) and the Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society (APLS) are working together to organize the three-day fourth edition of the Arunachal Literature Festival, which began on Thursday at the multifunctional cultural center in this city.

The festival aims to raise literary awareness and spotlight both established authors and poets as well as up-and-coming authors.

The DIPR stated in a release that the event aimed to "facilitate an interface between the local writers and established writers and authors, encouraging budding talents to enhance their skills in creative writing, along with providing them a platform to express themselves in terms of creativity and literature."

This year's festival, with the theme "Building bridges through literature," will emphasize "reading, creative thinking and expressions," a series of literary brainstorming sessions, and information exchange through presentations and conversations, according to the DIPR.

The event attracts a large number of well-known authors, publishers, writers, poets, up-and-coming writers, and readers from both inside and beyond the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein stressed during her remarks at the opening ceremony the need to "document the rich oral literature of the state for its preservation and prosperity."

"Arunachal Pradesh is catching up with other states in various disciplines, despite being a late starter in education and the development path due to its distant location, there is no shortage of abilities," he added.

The DCM stated that "researching and recording the history of the Khampti tribe and the state's unsung heroes who revolted against the British" has been given to the history department at RGU.

Along with the poetry style of Khampti literature being converted into prose format for greater expression, he said that it is necessary to "translate the rich local literature (dialects) in Hindi or English for the people to comprehend."

To preserve both the mother tongue and the actual character of the language, Mein encouraged the APLS to "perform a critical role."

Laisam Simai, a consultant to the tourism minister, urged aspiring authors to "inculcate the habit of writing and reading."

Simai asked the distinguished authors and writers outside to "motivate the young writers to polish their potential," noting that "such literature festivals give an adequate platform to transfer one's desire and vision into reality via creative writings."

"Although the state with many tribes is rich in oral literature, there were no written works previously owing to a shortage of scripts, save for Khampti and Monpa," stated APLS President YD Thongchi. He stated that the APLS was established in 2006 with the goals of "raising awareness of the value of literature, giving writers a platform for greater exposure, and encouraging the emergence of new writers through various literary activities throughout the state, which later paved the way for the literary festivals."

This fourth edition is being held in Namsai for the first time outside of Itanagar to support the literary scene in the state's eastern region and showcase the area's scenic nature to visitors, he continued.

In her speech, renowned author and recipient of the Padma Shri Mamang Dai encouraged aspiring authors to "explore the world and express their thoughts via writings," adding that "writing is about language and imagination with the honesty of feelings."

A literature festival, according to Dai, "is an intangible heritage and facilitates the writers and boosts their imagination to raise the standard of creativity among them, in addition to providing a meeting ground of our thoughts," as she read the English translation of the Manipuri poem "My Beloved Mother."

Onyok Pertin, the director of IPR, also talked.

The opening event was attended by MLAs Chow Zignu Namchoom, Jummum Ete Deori, and Dasanglu Pul, the Namsai ZPC, DC CR Khampa, HoDs, significant public figures, as well as students from the AUS and other nearby colleges.

The publication of a book on Hindi poetry collections by Dr. Jamuna Bini, a group song performed by AUS students and Tai Khampti language professors, and a peacock dance performed by the Tai Khampti Heritage and Literary Society were among the other highlights, according to the DIPR.

The National Library in Guwahati (Assam) and Reader's Realm in Itanagar have both set up book kiosks where their respective book collections are on exhibit.

In addition to other activities, the festival will include poetry readings, short story readings, a "rainbow conclave" of gay poetry, a workshop on poetry writing by Tenzing Tsundue, and a workshop on novel writing by Jayant Madhav Bora.