Chandigarh, November 13, 2016: The 5th Edition of Chandigarh Literature Festival (CLF 2016), organized by Adab Foundation concluded today at Chandigarh Club, Sec 1. The day started with a conversation of translator Satti Khanna with critic Akshaya Kumar on poet Nirala’s fictional autobiography ‘A life Misspent’. Satti Khanna started the discussion by pointing out that literature festivals should not just be just about authors. They should also include translators and critics too. Translation , he said, was not a secondary pursuit-“ It is an exercise of self-enlargement.”When asked why he chose to translate Nirala’s biography, he retorted that he was impressed by Nirala’s power to construct things. Talking about A Life Misspent, Satti said that it touched upon the debates which were forbidden. Homosexuality, he said, had to do with individual differences.
Acclaimed Punjabi writer and recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award, Manmohan Singh was engaged in a talk about his book ‘Nirvan’ by critic Des Raj Kali. Manmohan asserted that there was no dearth of readers in Punjabi. Nirvan, he said, was a deliberate attempt to take Punjabi fiction out of its village setting and give it a pan-Indian flavor. He said that Punjabi readers acknowledged and appreciated innovative approach. He recounted the days he spent in Bihar as an IPS officer. He was shaken to see that Bihar, the land of Buddha, was wrought with violence in the present era. The Naxalites, he said, had some genuine concerns and needed to be dealt with sensitivity.
The session that concluded CLF 2016 was quite a draw. After a screening of critically acclaimed film ‘A Billion Colour Story’, a session was conducted about the film by Critic Baradwaj Rangan with Director N Padmakumar & Co producer Satish Kaushik. Kaushik talked about the difficulties which young film makers faced. Producers , he said, should think beyond business. However, he expressed happiness about the Indian cinema witnessing a transition phase. “ Today, filmmakers are becoming fearless, Earlier, we worked within boundaries. Nobody questioned.” Referring to Anurag Kashyap’s Udta Punjab Kaushik said that it took a lot of courage to make a film on that subject. Satish talked about the project he was currently working upon. His next film called Main Zinda Hoonis a biopic of a common man from Azamgarh. Talking about the movie N Padmakumar said that it was a story which he really wanted to tell. As an artist one’s aim should be to awaken the conscience of the audience. He conceded that movies were capable of having a huge impact on the audience. He said that A Billion Colour Story was in black & white because a child’s vision was uncoloured by prejudice. It was also an attempt to decolourise the differences in India. “I wanted people to imagine the colour.”
“The festival this year has been unique. We conducted a multilingual poetry workshop with European & Indian language Poets under Literature Across Frontiers. A lifetime achievement award to writer Kiran Nagarkar will also be remembered as a highlight. Overall the festival had a lot of sessions with acclaimed authors and film makers, thus giving Chandigarh literature & art enthusiasts a very welcome exposure to the world of letters & films.” Summed up Mitul Dikshit, Chairman, Adab Foundation.