Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature Conferences

Prof. Padma P. Devkota of Tribhuvan University, while introducing the theme of the Conference, spoke at length on the times we were living in. He said : “ It is a world full of unhappy people. There is all-round misery caused by dysfunctional political and economic systems. It is almost an Age of Pessimism.” He added that writers, especially of the SAARC countries, were facing a crisis of identity. “While post-modernism had become a cult among Nepali writers, the challenge was to write poetry and literature of the common people,” he opined.
Dr. Mahendra Prasad, Rector, Tribhuvan University, inaugurated the Conference and said that local languages were the genuine voice of the people. “In this era of globalisation, translation becomes an important activity and it should be given all possible encouragement “.
On behalf of the visiting SAARC authors, Mr. Manohar Shyam Joshi, a leading fiction writer and satirist from India, said that the world had reached a point where everything was changing very fast and hardly any role models or ideals were left for the youngsters to emulate. “The whole spectacle was that of a market, of blatant selfishness. Not only poetry, but the language itself was in danger. The culture of the mighty and the prosperous

Prof. Padma P. Devkota of Tribhuvan University, while introducing the theme of the Conference, spoke at length on the times we were living in. He said : “ It is a world full of unhappy people. There is all-round misery caused by dysfunctional political and economic systems. It is almost an Age of Pessimism.” He added that writers, especially of the SAARC countries, were facing a crisis of identity. “While post-modernism had become a cult among Nepali writers, the challenge was to write poetry and literature of the common people,” he opined. Dr. Mahendra Prasad, Rector, Tribhuvan University, inaugurated the Conference and said that local languages were the genuine voice of the people. “In this era of globalisation, translation becomes an important activity and it should be given all possible encouragement “. On behalf of the visiting SAARC authors, Mr. Manohar Shyam Joshi, a leading fiction writer and satirist from India, said that the world had reached a point where everything was changing very fast and hardly any role models or ideals were left for the youngsters to emulate. “The whole spectacle was that of a market, of blatant selfishness. Not only poetry, but the language itself was in danger. The culture of the mighty and the prosperous	is overwhelming other cultures to their detriment. SAARC writers should take up this challenge and correct the present imbalance in the field of language and culture.” The Inaugural Session came to an end with a Vote of Thanks proposed by Prof. Dambar Bir Thapa, Chief Coordinator of the Conference. The Inaugural Session was followed by an Interactive Session chaired by Dr. Durga P. Bhandari. In this session revolving round the theme ‘ Recent Trends in SAARC Literature’ speakers from SAARC countries spoke on the evolving literary trends in their respective countries. Dr. Govinda Raj Bhandari spoke on the ‘fads’ of post-modernism in Nepal and how it was affecting the literary tradition in Nepal. Ms. Chitra Mudgal offered a survey of the present scenario of Hindi fiction and presented several examples of young writers breaking new grounds in terms of substance and style. Mr. Dinesh Misra spoke on the trends in contemporary Hindi poetry. In his view, the younger poets displayed a robust conviction that the all-pervading darkness and gloom could be tackled courageously. Fighting against darkness was a condition of survival – and survive they will !

Interaction with students of Tribhuvan University commenced with a word of encouragement from Mr. Dinesh Misra from India and Ms. Ruby Rahman from Bangladesh.