GUWAHATI
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday proposed to establish a serene and scenic writers’ village at a strategic place in the State for writers and artists to pursue their creativity in peace and solitude.
He said the ‘project’ had been on his mind for quite some time, and had found the fifth edition of the Arunachal Literature Festival (ALS) the right occasion to announce it. The three-day festival ended in the State’s capital Itanagar on Saturday.
“Arunachal Pradesh has some of the best locations where the mind roams free, hearts beat in perfect rhythm, and the soul is at total peace. Writers and artists just need such an ambience to perfect their art. We will offer it,” Mr Khandu said.
He said the writers’ village would be a perfect resort with all basic facilities at some remote location, where writers and artists could stay for weeks and months to fine tune their creative pursuits.
“I would like to invite all creative minds to avail of this facility,” he said.
“Literature is a reflection of humanity and a way for us to understand each other. By listening to the voice of another person, we can begin to figure out how that individual thinks. I believe that literature is important because of its purpose, and in a society which is becoming increasingly detached from human interaction, novels create a conversation,” Mr. Khandu said.
He appreciated the State’s Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) for organising the festival annually since 2018 in collaboration with the Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society, headed by renowned authors Y.D. Thongchi and Mamang Dai.
Nothing that the festival had been growing with each passing year, the Chief Minister suggested that it should travel across the State and not stay confined to the State capital. He assured enhancement of funds for organising the festival on a rotation basis across the State from next year.
More than 50 renowned and budding authors and poets from across the country participated in the ALF. They included Anand Neelakanthan, Kavita Kane, Preethi Shenoy, Asgar Wajahat, Mahesh Dattani, Janice Pariat, and Anuja Chandramouli.
