Source : The Pioneer
A literature and arts festival on a grand scale is being held in the Doon valley for the first time and has been long awaited by the people of Dehradun and its surrounding cities.
To be inaugurated by Uttarakhand Governor Krishan Kant Paul on November 17, the festival will feature around seventy sessions which will cover many genres of literature -fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, poetry (English, Hindi and Urdu), environment related works and others.
This festival will bring together the best writers ,critics and listeners from the world of poetry and also writing for young adults, storytellers ,bloggers, puppeteers ,painters and photographers from across the world to Dehradun. Academicians, bureaucrats, corporate leaders, grassroots activists, judges, military strategists, doctors (who are also authors), students and teachers will gather for three days in the valley at “Valley of Words”(VOW).
VOW organisers believe that literature and art have the potential of engaging people of all ages, especially students and youth, to look beyond the immediate, to place facts in perspective and engage in lateral thinking.
Sessions include those titled “Remembering Shivani”, “Indira Gandhi: A Life in nature”, “With malice Towards None:Remembering Khushwant”, “Husn-e-Ghazal”, ” Hindi ka Vartman aur Bhavishya”, “Yuva Lekhan”, “Uttarakhand ka Sahityik Paridrishya”, “Green Ink-New Authors”, ” Medical Encounters: A conversation with doctor/author Dr.S.K.Jindal”, “Law and Literature “, ” India through the Eyes of History, Mystery and Mythology” , “Revolutionary Poetry in Urdu” and “the Civil Servant as a Writer”.
A Philately Exhibition, a photography exhibition and crafts expo will be an important part of this three-day vibrant event.Participants of the photography exhibition include Ashok Dilwali, Anup Sah, Threesh Kapoor, DD.Mishra, Bhumesh Bharti and Deepankar Aron.
The Philately exhibition will portray Uttarakhand through philatelic material. It is divided into pre-independence and post-independence sections.The chief guest at the valedictory ceremony of VOW on November 19 will be Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
This colourful and intellectually stimulating event will surely set the trend for more such festivals in various parts of the hill state and bring it on the national and international literary event maps .VOW is being organised by The Shivalik Hills Foundation Trust.