Literature: Many Languages, One Soul. ———————————————————————- On the occasion of the fifth annual edition of the Srikshetra National Literary Festival (SNLF), the Bhubaneswar Gadda once again resonated with diverse voices of literature, culture and creativity. The two-day literary festival, held at Jayadev Bhavan in Bhubaneswar from September 26 and 27, brought together poets, storytellers, translators, critics and literary figures from different states across the country on a single platform. The festival showcased the cultural unity inherent in the diversity of Indian languages and unveiled the living forms of human emotions reflected in literature. A special issue of the literary magazine ‘Shabdabrahma’ and a colourful magazine ‘Vatayan’ were launched at the festival. And the Telugu translation of the Odia matrikas “Mrigaya” by Dr. Phani Mohanty, who has won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and has been translated into many languages, was released in Telugu under the same name and was launched on this occasion. Similarly, the Maharashtra Sahitya Akademi Award winner Smt. Paramita Shadangi’s “Ijya” was released in Telugu as “Pavitragni” and was launched on this occasion. The presence of writers from different Indian languages and their creative expressions added a special touch to this event. Literature provides us with more than just words, but also a way to connect with the experiences of fellow human beings. Although words written in different languages may sound different to hear, the emotions behind them—compassion, love, struggle and dreams—often converge in a common human dimension. The great power of literature is to connect human beings with each other across linguistic boundaries. The Srikshetra National Literature Festival was a celebration of this spirit. The festival was attended by many prominent literary figures including Padma Shri Devi Prasanna Patnaik, renowned bilingual poet Ashwini Kumar, renowned bilingual poet Professor Subodh Sarkar, acclaimed Hindi poet Narendra Pundarik, renowned Odia critic Professor Prafulla Kumar Mohanty, Telugu litterateur Prasanna Kumar, and Vikramaditya Singh (Vishva Hindi Parishad, Odisha chapter president and Hindi poet-writer); along with Chittaranjan Bhoy, Rachana and Sanjay Borude. Over a hundred poets and writers, including Kendra Sahitya Akademi awardees Pradeep Bihari, Dr. Hrishikesh Mallick and Amrita Bera, participated in the festival. The participation of literary figures from various languages like Assamese, Bengali, Hindi, Odia, Sanskrit, Urdu, Marathi, English, Telugu, Tamil, Sambalpuri and Maithili made the event a shining example of the breadth, diversity and cultural unity of Indian literature. Book launches, panel discussions and multilingual poetry readings by poets from different Indian languages were the main attractions of the festival. Listening to writers from different languages on one platform was an experience that truly reflected the rich tradition and vibrant diversity of Indian literature. The two-day festival saw two important discussion sessions, ‘Translator vs AI’ and ‘Is Fiction for Beauty or Responsibility?’. The session titled ‘Is Fiction for Beauty or Responsibility?’ was chaired by renowned Maithili novelist Pradeep Bihari. Noted Odia fiction writer Prakash Mahapatra, along with Professor Sudhir Joshi, Sanjay Borude, Uday Thulung, Assamese poet Rajiv Phukan and several other literary figures participated in the discussion. They shared their views on the aesthetics of fiction, social concerns and the responsibility of the writer.
Views were shared. Meanwhile, several scholars and award-winning translators actively participated in the important discussion on the topic of ‘Translator vs. AI’. In the conference chaired by Professor Chittaranjan, Shyamali Sengupta, Sutapa Saha, Anima Das, Rajiv Phukan, Dinesh Mali, Barnali Sharma, Paramita Shadangi, Marathi poet Sanjeev Borude, Rachana and others shared their thoughts on the changing role of translation, linguistic sensitivities and the growing impact of artificial intelligence. On the first day of the festival, the dignitaries on stage included renowned writer Ashwini Kumar, Professor Subodh Sarkar, Padma Shri Debi Prasanna Patnaik, Dr. Fani Mohanty, Shri Jamini Kanta Das, Shri Pranab Chotray (Secretary of Sahitya Sanskriti Samaroh), and Dr. Satyabrata Jena (Secretary of the National Sahitya Organizing Committee), among others. The two-day festival witnessed enthusiastic participation of both young and experienced writers. The participation of women writers in particular added new vitality to the event. New avenues of dialogue between different languages were explored through book launches, poetry readings and discussion programmes. Explaining the design of the event, Dr. Satyabrata Jena (Secretary, Srikshetra National Literary Festival) and Pranab Kumar Chotrai (Secretary, Sahitya Sanskriti Samaroh) said that arrangements have been made for the last six months with the aim of removing language barriers and providing a common platform to writers of different Indian languages. Academicians and writers from different states expressed their best wishes to the organizers for the success of the event. Moderators Paramita Shadangi, Sonali Sahu and Sanghamitra Raiguru played a key role in ensuring the smooth and successful conduct of the event. Finally, Dr. Saroj Mahapatra presented the vote of thanks. Odisha is not just a land of pilgrimages, but has always been an important centre of Indian cultural consciousness. The ‘Srikshetra National Literature Festival’, held in this historical and cultural backdrop, has provided new opportunities for dialogue, intellectual exchange and creative expression through literature. Pranab Kumar Chotray (Secretary, Sahitya Sanskriti Samaroh) and Dr. Satyabrata Jena (Editor, National Saraswat Utsav) played a key role in the success of this festival, which was held under the guidance of Dr. Fani Mohanty, a recipient of the Central Sahitya Akademi and Odisha Sahitya Akademi award.
