Guwahati (Assam),Feb 10: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the second edition of Brahmaputra Literary Festival at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here.
The three-day literary event, which kick-started on Friday, has been jointly organised by the National Book Trust and Assam Publication Board saw a huge assembly of young literary enthusiasts and authors from across the globe.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Chief Minister Sonowal said, “Literature is the bedrock of any civilization. It is through books that the richness of any civilization percolates down to the future generations. Considering the immense power of literature, we want our youth to dedicate more to literary and cultural activities. This literary event is not just a festival. This is our investment for a strong and vibrant future.”
Terming Literature as the mirror of the society that reflects its strengths and weaknesses, Sonowal said that literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people.
“I hope that the festival would open new opportunities of intellectual exchange for the youth and guide them in the art of creative writing. This intellectual exchange will definitely inspire our youth, encourage new ideas and promote the habit of reading amongst them”, the Chief Minister observed.
Stating that a nation degenerates and decays if its literature declines, He underscored literature as a means of driving a country’s development and a harbinger of positive change.
The Chief Minister urged the writers to focus more on the pressing issues of modern times such as climate change, degenerating ethical and human values, the power of cooperation, harmony and peaceful co-existence so that such literature could positively cultivate the mind and contribute in building a better society.
“Literature of the region must also highlight our relation with the ASEAN countries since the days of the Ramayana and Mahabharata to entrench the ties”, he said.
Sonowal also urged the writers to focus more on literary translation.
“Translation of literary works would introduce us to hitherto unknown dimensions of human thought and exchange of ideas. The Assamese literature would also be highly benefitted from such an exercise”, the Chief Minister opined.
Scholar Indra Nath Choudhri and National Book Trust chairman Baldev Bhai Sarma while delivering their speech on the occasion highlighted the role played by literature in promoting heritage, tradition and ethical values as well as its inspirational role in social life as a whole.
While director of National Book Trust Dr Rita Choudhury delivered the welcome speech, writers from different parts of India and abroad were also present in the inaugural function.
(ANI)
