The first thematic session – Sharing Civilizational Heritage , was addressed by Dr. Asif Farrukhi from Pakistan , Prof. U. R. Ananthamurthy from India , Prof. Kapila Goonasekara from Sri Lanka and Dr. Pem Namgyal from Bhutan besides others.

In a world that is increasingly confronting terror of many kinds, a writer, finds himself in the same situation as those who have been victims of terror or witness to its brutality, affirmed Dr. Asif Farrukhi , eminent writer from Pakistan . According to him, a writer has to deal with a unique phenomenon, which is changing the fabric of our society, destroying it beyond recognition. More than politicians, the writer plays the role of a civic conscience. If the writer failed to do so, politicians would "Officialize" history to reflect only their point of view. They fill in the gaps that official history deliberately leaves out. "It's the imagination liberating the nation in the true sense of the word".

Cultural terrorism, he said, is another phenomenon that needs to be guarded against. "The desire to go back and rewrite the past that suits a particular scheme or point of view also means that the future too that gets rewritten". It may be born of a misguided sense of religion or racial purity, originating in an agitating anxiety defining a sense of identity. "This is the view that promises paradise to the Assassins, and Maulvi Abdul Haleem Sharar , the author of "Firdaus-e-Bareen" warns us against its hollowness and illusory nature. This is all that literature can do: warn you. And the role of the writer is to expose the falseness of the illusion.

"When Assassins lay claim to Paradise it is the world that suffers; and it is from this suffering of the world that literature springs forth".

When the floor was thrown open to writers – one each from the seven member countries – the Jnanpith awardee, U.R. Ananthamurthy , made out a case for reading more South Asian literature. While the Bhutanese author, Pem Namgyal , said writers kept alive the voice of hope in a world hurtling towards, despair, Prof. Ananthamurthy said the writings of the likes of Pakistani author, Intizar Hussain , made it impossible for him to hate Pakistanis even when India was at war with it.

Prof. Kapila Goonasekara and Prof. Arjuna Parakrama : in a joint paper titled Sharing Civilizational Heritage; Cultural Connectivity in the SAARC region, stated that the region was unique due to the acknowledgement of commonality and sharing. On a reflective tone they added, “even as we struggle to make sense of our increasing by violent and unequal world, sometimes appearing to being in conflict even with our closest allies and neighbours, it is incumbent on us to take a step back and ponder on our shared heritage and common cause”.