Dehradun Literature Festival commences

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 17

The first edition of the two-day Dehradun Literature Festival 2017 commenced at the ONGC Officers Club here today. The first day saw eminent personalities from across the country participate.

The authors and writers included Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Dr Bijay Laxmi Nanda, Hridayesh Joshi, Sumrit Shahi, Savi Sharma, Dr Rakshanda Jalil and Kiran Maral.

The activities of day one started with a session on ‘Interrogating the Gender Barriers’ by authors Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Dr Bijaylaxmi Nanda and Prashant R Chauhan. The session was moderated by Rakhee Bakshee. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a transgender rights activist, dancer and actress.

Tripathi said, “Indian serials have affected the dignity of women. Media houses have left a huge impact on gender biases. We Indians have forgotten our own culture and started following western culture.”

Talking about sexuality, she said, “One has to be comfortable in his/her own skin. It doesn’t matter to me as to what others have to say about me. I never knew what I was, but society made me realize what I am.”

Another session on ‘Jal, Jangal and Zameen’ was conducted by authors Hridayesh Joshi, Laxmi Pant, Sushil Bahuguna and Trepan Singh Chauhan. Hridayesh Joshi is a senior editor (National Affairs) with NDTV India.

Author Savi Sharma unveiled her new book ‘This is not your story’ at the festival. The author brings together three characters - Shaurya, Anubhav and Miraya – along with their unachieved dreams and shattered hearts, and how their stories gradually unfold to a better future.

An interactive session on ‘Writing from the Hills’ was conducted by Kiran Manral, Rahul Bhatt and Mona Verma. The authors shared their writing experiences and their inspiration from mountains and nature.

Dr Rakshanda Jalil, Atul Pundir and Dr MH Farooqui emphasised on the relevance, reach and reality of Urdu. Jalil is a writer, critic and literary historian and has published over 15 books and written over 50 academic papers and essays.

The first day of the fest concluded with a Haasya Kavi Sammelan with a title ‘Aapke Muh Mein Ghee Shakkar’.