Ambitious talkfest opens up virgin terrain

Inaugural writers' conference seeks dialogue to share the wealth of Indian and Australian regional literary culture

Austra!ia's rollercoaster relationshi p w ith Ind ia is all set to ride a new high after a successful writers ' forum, the first of its kind, open ed fresh new pathways between the two nations, tapping into each other's intellectual and culmral identities and thereby forgiJ1g what could be long lasting relationsh ips in hitherto unexplored terrains.

Leapfrogging over linguistic and political barriers, rbe high pro61e Australia India Literatures International Forum (AILIF) organised by University of Western Sydney's (UWS) \Xlriting Society and Research Cenu·e (WSRC) brought mgether a se lection of creative talems from both countries for a meeting of minds. Two leading publishers (R Sivapriya of Penguin India and Mita Kapur of Siyahi) and ten acclaimed writers representing many re6>ional dialects flew down from the subcontinent for the largest Li terary exchange of its kind experienced so far in Australia.

The Indian delegation was led by veteran theatre personality and playwright Girish Karnad, and included Dalit writers Gogu Shyamala and Sharan Kumar Limbale; Mamang Dai and Ki.npham Singh ongkynrih, both writers fr()m the north ease; soc ial historian and women smdies researcher CS Lakshmi; Urdu storyte!Jer Mahmood Faroogui; Hindi novelise Uday Prakash; Malayali writer NS M adhavan; and Gujarati poet Prabhodh Parikh.

While Indian wr iting in English has a huge market worldwide commanding an impress ive global readership, tl1e literary offerings in myriad regional Indian languages remains virgin territory. Likewise, the rich vibrancy of Australian indigenous wr iting is a niche area with imrneme potential. As well, multicultural writers o f modem Australia have countless tales to cell, imbibing many literary and culmra l rraditions chat di sso lve geographic boundaries. The forum sought to Link these diverse traditions of scoryrelling through one co,nmon p latforrn.

"The Australia India Literamres International Forum (AILIF) hopes to develop and strengthen Austral ian ties witl1 one of the fastest growing markets for literature," said event facilitator and p o st-doccoral fellow ar WSRC, Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty. ' 1c will have me twin effect of promoting inter-lingual ideas and enable translations of high gualicy between these Literamres, thereby helping Australia and India understand each otl1er's societies and foster closer cultural relationships".

''"The forum will contri bute significantly to our multicultural fabric and we hope t o build on the research of each other 's cult ural milieu" UWS Vice Chancellor Janice Reid writers, to generate interest in their respective traditions and enable closer interaction and collaboration between mem, in rbe process, spearheading research and commercial ventures," Dr Cbakraborty stated. behalf of tl1e lndiru1 writing communicy, "To represent a!J of India's languages and d ial ects is to represent so many complex cultures, an almost impossible task," he stated witl1 revealing cru1doUL " Each language is a ferocious nation proud of its w1ique heritage. Bloody conflicts have resulted from the demands of linguistic recognition. Language divides us, bm it also mutes us. And India has survived and flourished because of its respect for diversiry''.

While Australian literature has a significant presence in the English departments of Indian universities, it bas not yet penetrated the sizeab le regional l anguage markets, Dr Chakraborty l amented.

"It will therefore be directly beneficial for Australian writers to interact wirb weir Indian counterpart s to exp lore possibilities of reciprocal publication in translation , and it will be eguall y fruitful for vernacular Indian writers to expand on Australian vistas," she noted.

The VC later hosred a reception for the visiting \Vriters.

She added, "Indian publishing is at a high point at the moment, and major g lobal publishing houses are rap idly moving inco the subcontinent to cash in on a highl)' Literate English-proficient dientele. Australia is in a good position to capitalise on chis, as our hidden gems of Australian Aboriginal, Indigenous and mul ticulcnral wriru1g, derived from traditions ocher rban tl1e European, are espec iall y unknown in the subcontinent''.

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'This forum brings togetl1er vernacu lar writers from India with Australian multicu ln1ral

Funded b y the Australia India Council (AlC) in association wi th the Lirerarure Board of the Australia Council for the Arcs (ACA), the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) and Australia India Instin1te (All) , tl1e forum was held on September 3 -6 at me Scare Library of NSW

Addressing the inaugural session held at the Female Orphan Buil ding of the p icn1res9ue UWS campus, Vice Chancell or Janice Reid said, "Like India, Australia is an ancient country. We loo k forward to screngrneniog ties between tl1ese rwo great nations. An event of mis sca le has not been undertaken before. The forum will contribute significantly to our multicultural fabric and we hope to build on the research of each other's culttu·al milieu "

Girish Kamad was given me onerous cask of speaking on

Exploring me diverse tradition s of contemporary writing in Inclia and Australia over tl1e course of the fom days, the bold and ambitious calkfesc at Metcalfe Auditorium examined how "linguistic diversity, vernacular cosmopolitanism and global regimes of translatio n shape and effect literature".

Open to public, me thoughtfully chosen panel sessions included speakers from botl1 nations fo llowed by interactive discussions Old traditions and new culmres, poetic imagination, tl1e salience of place, politics of location, enduri ng role of myths, great human migration, Girmitiya cultures of Pacific Ocean, linguistic allegiances and tl1e hybrid writer, purpose of translatio n and role of publishers were some of me issues discussed. The State L ibrary bookstore also made available me works of local and v isi ting writers

The forum also included special presentations on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore as well as re\7 ival of ancient Das tangoi tradition.