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TRANSCENDING NATIONAL BOUNDARIES
K.R. Narayanan
Former President of India

Writers and literary scholars of South Asia have an underlined commonality that transcends national boundaries. Yet, neighbouring countries in South Asia tended to remain in darkness about each other’s literature, specially of contemporary writings. Even though we are all aware of the prominent literary figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Mohammed Iqbal, Subrahmanya Bharti, Nazrul Islam, Vallathol, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and others, our knowledge about modern writing in the languages of the region remains very scanty. This is partly on account of the inadequacy of good translations. There is a need to transmit the ideas contained in our literary works through translations.

South Asia, with its plurality of languages, can indeed be a translators’ paradise, facilitating free flow of the literatures of South Asia within and beyond the region. It is essential that we understand the streams of ideas that flow through the minds of the people among neighbours in South Asia.
The meetings of the writers of the region should be a more frequent occurrence. I am confident that such interactions will strengthen regional cooperation and foster greater creativity in this region.