FOSWAL Festival boosts SAARC literature

The enthusiasm among young Nepali writers to participate in the FOSWAL Literature Festival held in New Delhi in the second week of this November was palpable. This year, I joined the festival with a lot of excitement. One of the main reasons for my enthusiasm was the opportunity to meet Ajeet Cour, a celebrated Indian fiction writer from Punjab who is the recipient of the Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademy Awards. Reading her autobiographical short stories and memoirs has often left me moved. I first saw her during a two-day SAARC fiction festival held in Kathmandu in 2006. That event primarily featured fiction writers from Nepal and India.  I had seen her passionately praising creations that touched her heart and intervening when speakers drifted off-topic at the event. I still recall her commenting a rambling moderator back then, “Dear terrorist, shall we stop this here?”

Last April, I received Ajeet Cour's email to participate in the 65th FOSWAL Literature Festival. I was thrilled because many young Nepali writers had already participated in this event, but I hadn't had the chance before. Excitedly, I attended the event at the Academy of Fine Arts and Literature in Siri Fort, New Delhi, from November 10 to 13, 2024. I enjoyed all sessions except for the final day when participants other than Indians were taken for sight seeing of historic sites in New Delhi. (Besides, I had chance to meet many literary figures including KV Dominic, Bhupinder Kaur Preet, Gayatri Majumdar, Faridur Rahman, Sushminder Jeet Kaur, Kavita Singhal and others.)

Ajeet has turned 90. Despite her frail physique compared to before, her unwavering dedication and enthusiasm for promoting literature moved me deeply. Her habit of making encouraging feedbacks, and, if touched by a piece, urging creators to share more of their work, remained the same. Many authors from SAARC countries respectfully address her as "Maa ji" (elder mother).

Though it was difficult for her to remain seated at events for extended periods, her artist daughter Arpana Cour frequently accompanied her to the sessions. Ajeet would listen to presentations for a while and, in her resolute voice, offer inspiring commentary, often requesting someone to share additional work. Soon, however, she would need to leave for rest. November 16 marked her birthday, and on the festival's final evening on 13th, a cake-cutting celebration was planned in her honour. Unfortunately, she fell unwell and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Author of twenty-five short story collections and eight novellas, the nonagenarian has edited representative anthologies of stories, poems, essays, culture, philosophy, and folk music from the SAARC countries in collaboration with various individuals. Her persistent efforts and enthusiasm in organising FOSWAL (Foundation OF SAARC Writers And Literature)  Literature Festivals, despite the complicated political relations among some countries, have fostered harmony among people of SAARC countries, evoking a deep sense of respect for her remarkable contributions.

Nature Conservation

There is no larger political issue in the world today than nature conservation. Nations armed with weapons for their false pride, and profit-driven tycoons for their greed, are piercing the heart of the nature. This leads to massive carbon emissions and threatens the very oxygen on which our lives depend. We are now reaping the consequences of our actions, as well as those we did not take. This does not merely shorten the lifespan of our beloved planet; it spells the impending doom of this beautiful biosphere and the human civilisation. Writers worldwide must make this a critical issue of their writing. The nonagenerain, in addition to being an author, is also an advocate for nature conservation. This year’s festival theme, “Heal the Wounds of Endangerd World,” reflected her ideology. Consequently, at the festival’s opening ceremony, alongside literary figures, notable contributors to environment protection were honoured with the SAARC Environment Award. Those included Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, who played a transformative role in cleaning Punjab’s rivers, as well as Vandana Shiva, Indian justice Vineet Kothari and M.L. Lohoti, and conservationists Anil Sood and Kamal Kashyap. The recipients of SAARC Literature Award included India’s Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee, Shehpar Rasool, Anamika, Vanita, and Arundhathi Subramaniam, Sri Lanka’s Thameera Manju, and Nepal’s Bidhan Acharya.

 Nepal's Representation

Among the seven participants from Nepal, I was the only one included in the fiction session. Deputy Executive Editor of The Rising Nepal daily, Rituraj Subedi, was assigned to present a paper, while the rest joined the poetry session. Personally, I felt more comfortable with poetry since I had translated poems in English, while I lacked translated short stories. However, this brought upon me the eleventh hour pressure to translate one of my own short stories. I chose the one titled  'The Reporter." Some times ago, a news about a municipal employees who hadn’t received salary for two months due to the absence of their supervisor had gained media hype. However, the fact that most journalists in the country go unpaid for five to six months rarely ever becomes a news story. My short story narrated the tale of a journalist driven by the dual pressures of securing his job and chasing a scoop. Then, he pens a sensational story about a teenage girl cruelly killed in a car's strike, only to later discover that the victim was his own sister.

During the 15-minute time limit for the story presentation, I had to skip some parts and paragraphs of the story, but I still remember the profound, somber silence of the audience as I read, followed by empathetic and heartfelt remarks.

In his presetation, journalist Subedi offered critical observation  of a novella Modiain by famous fiction writer BP Koirala in reference to play wright Professor Abhi Subedi’s play Sandaju Ko Mahabharat. He partcularly highlighted the ecological elements in Modiain. Meanwhile, Bidhan Acharya, Chandra Gurung, Netra Atom, Naaz Singh, and Sabita Gautam Dahal gave impactful poetry recitations. Acharya also presented a paper in another session, where he introduced the term 'Himalayan Culture' to describe the subcontinent's shared heritage, earning widespread praise for his reasoning and perspective.

Although this year's event primarily featured authors from Nepal, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, the quality of the presentations made up for the absence of high-profile writers. Bhutan’s Chador Wangmo, India’s Mysna Chanu  and Swati Sharma, Sri Lanka’s Upul Guruge and Chinthaka Ranasinghe, and Nepal’s Chandra Gurung, Sabita Gautam, Bangladesh's Parveen Shehnaz and Jasmine Munni and others all managed to capture the audience’s attention. Guruge, also a singer, became so popular that his singing performances were repeatedly requested during breaks between sessions.

Distinctiveness Of Sessions

Having attended several literary festivals in Nepal and India, I observed unique differences in their approaches to presentations. Big literary festivals in Nepal often treat poetry as 'filler content.' A single poetry session might cram in 19–20 poets, with each given time for only one short poem. Nevertheless, poetry sessions attract the largest audiences. In contrast, at the Parallel Literary Festival, initiated a few years ago in Jaipur of India and currently on hold, four or five poets would be allocated an hour-long session. They could present their representative poems and share thoughts about their work. The sessions at the FOSWAL festival had their own distinctiveness. Over four days, 26 sessions were conducted. In the poetry sessions, each poet was allotted eight minutes to present either three short poems, or their thoughts about poetry. Fiction and research paper sessions, however, allowed participants 15 minutes each. Fiction writers could read excerpts from their stories or novels, while essayists or non-literary participants could deliver speeches on their chosen topics.

What struck me as most interesting was that every session had a designated chairperson. After each presentation, the chairperson could extend the writer’s allotted time if necessary and provide concise, immediate commentary on their creations. For example, Arundhathi Subramaniam, an English-language poet from Mumbai and winner of India’s Sahitya Academy Award, offered insightful critiques in her melodious voice, often concluding with her own poetry. Similarly, celebrated Hindi poet Anamika’s remarks were captivating, and audiences were even more eager to listen to her poems. The sturcture of the sessions added immense value to the recitals, making it highly engaging for both participants and attendees.

Conclusion

Reflecting on Nepal’s participation in the FOSWAL festivals, I feel that there has been limited representation of diverse voices from Nepali literature. Just because I participated this time doesn’t mean everything was perfect. Regardless of who attends—be it poets, fiction writers, or essayists—it is imperative that the true essence of Nepali literature is reflected at such platforms. This should remain our focus in the years ahead.

(Shrestha is a litterateur and freelance journalist.)