The inaugural event was presided over by chief guest Prof. Nandakishore Acharya, guest of honor Dr. Sandeep Shastri and special guest Dr. Manohar Bharati.
The inaugural address by Prof. Nandakishore Acharya had ‘Hindi writing of 21st century” as its central point, around which he deftly weaved some key points that rightly certified to his points of emphasis. From poetic expression and language, importance of correct usage of punctuations to power of sound vocabulary and their proper usages, he highlighted each of them with an example to support his views.
Special Guest Dr. Manohar Bharati spoke about the need for such programmes. He talked of the history and need of Hindi as a connecting language. He also held up the idea of a unified country under the flag of Hindi as a national language, idea of bringing unity in diversity through writing, and literature as the symbol of the culture of the country.
Guest of Honour Dr. Sandeep Shastri, Pro VC of Jain (Deemed-to-be University), presented personal anecdotes to underline the value of Hindi as the medium of expression in our country. He also discussed about the socio-political implications of Hindi as the national language, the concept of national identity all over the world and for India in particular through language.
In another workshop, linguist and former Professor of Hindi at Wardha University and Nagpur University, Prof. Ramkumar Saxena spoke about the nuances of language created by grammar. He also cast great emphasis upon correct usage and practice of grammar. And encouraged the participants to improve writing skills and enhance literary sense.
Dr. Satyaprakash, Professor at Rajdhani College, Delhi University, addressed a workshop on ‘Contemporary Hindi Writing’. He stressed that the writers need to be sensitive towards our immediate surroundings and the circumstances of the country at large. He further added that writers need to have their own beliefs, values and thoughts. Through examples of great writers and their works he explained how expressions and thoughts should go hand-in-hand. He urged the writers to be alert towards the needs of the society, shed ego and bigotries, and get acquaint with the challenges of writing which involves not only praise but criticism too. He also touched upon aspects like discourse analysis, theoretical frameworks that exist in the period, development of theories of literature, 21st century as the period of identity discourses, new understanding of classics by deconstruction, while addressing the participants.
The workshop on ‘Discipline in Writing’ found mention of key aspects like mode and process of story writing to importance of grammar skills in a detailed manner. Prof. Uday Pratap Singh from Varanasi, who was present as the guest instructor, shed light on these topics. He asked the writers to respond to the need of the time. He said that writers need to be diligent, conduct research and collect information before writing stories, historical basis, and socio-cultural-political basis.
Prof. B.Y. Lalithamba, Former Professor and Dean Devi Ahilyabai, Holkar University, spoke on the importance of translations in a multi-linguist country like India. They emphasized unanimously the role of Hindi – translations, not just of text but of cultures as well. They stressed that the writers need to be alert towards the cultural contexts of the source of languages. They also spoke at length about the common challenges the translators face and rising opportunities for them.
Talking on ‘Fusion of Words with Movement’, Dr. Arunesh Shukla, Assistant Professor at ISECT University, Bhopal, highlighted the historical background of Hindi writing and its influence on writing. He said that writers need to nurture for a critical mind, understand role of criticism, theoretical frameworks, and analyze writings of others.
Sri Keshav Kar – Creative developer, InMobile, addressed a workshop on impact of information technology on language. He talked about the challenges posed by Information technology for languages, especially Indian languages. However, he also highlighted the opportunities borne with it. In addition to that he even alluded to the growing interest and demand towards Hindi writing and writers.
Contemporary Hindi writer and Gyanpeeth young Writer award recipient, Chandan Pandey talked about the characteristics of a true writer. He held up all the key areas where the value of a true writer lie. He also held up the difference between popular writing and writing a timeless piece. And mentioned how to gauge the potential of a narrative to reach to its readers. He also encouraged writers to exercise original thinking and writing.
Well known painter, photographer and poet, Sri Hullas Jain spoke about the power and influence of creativity in an artist’s life. He talked about the journey of creativity through his paintings and photos, and illustrations by way of poetry. He also encouraged participants to understand creativity in its complete sense and indulge in creative pursuits to produce remarkable piece of art.
