Language no bar
Broadening the spectrum, Gateway LitFest focuses on a large number of regional languages. While last year, the focus was on Indian languages that face extinction, this year, it aims to explore script-free languages in India. “We have a session on spoken languages that do not have any script such as Kosli, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Ahirani, Khasi, and Santali. A prominent writer in the Kosli language, Haldhar Nag, a winner of the Padma Shri in 2016, will be felicitated at the event,” says festival director Mohan Kakkanadan.
The theme for this year’s edition is ‘contemporary face of Indian literature’, and it focuses on five Indian languages – Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi and Malayalam. The attendance roster includes acclaimed personalities such as Jnanpith laureates Kedarnath Singh and Reghuveer Chaudhari, film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, poet and DMK leader Kanimozhi, and Bengali writer Subodh Sarkar, along with a long list of celebrated literary figures.
Talking about expanding the festival, Kakkanadan says, “We want to expand beyond Mumbai in the coming years. We plan to hold this festival in other cities and then come to Mumbai as a culmination of the smaller chapters we organise. What we have in mind is something on the lines of a travelling festival. However, there are financial constraints because of which we haven’t been able to do it yet.”
Read more:- Hindustan Times
