TGT Correspondent
September 17. The second cycle of Dang Literature Festival, organized by the literary group Udaharan Samuha started on Thursday. The first day of the three-day virtual event, organized on ZOOM and broadcasted live via Facebook, ran three sessions, the first being a recital of poems and the other two panel discussions. The recital, under the broad theme “Hamar Mati, Hamar Kavita” (Our Soil; Our Poetry) featured Tharu poets from various locations of the country, who read poems in their own language. Moderated by Chhabilal Kopial, the event featured poets Krishnaraj Sarvahari, Sushil Chaudhary, Indu Chaudhary, Bhumika Tharu, Som Demandaura, Ankar Anjan Sahayatri, Sunita Sanu, Raj Kumar Kanchha, Ram Prakash Chaudhary and Man Bahadur Chaudhary Panna.
The recital was followed by two panel discussions: “Jhandako Rajneeti”, the politics of flags and “Paryatanma Dangko Anuhaar”, the face of Dang district in tourism. The first discussion, moderated by critic Gurung Sushant, featured Nepal Academy Vice Chancellor and senior culturist Dr. Jagaman Gurung, and poet and lyricist Bhupal Rai as panelists. Mr. Rai argued how political symbols like the flag have become sites of contestation in the recent times and there are arguments to do away with monolithic representations in favor symbols that are inclusive, and representative of the public sentiment. Dr. Gurung, on the other hand, argued that existing symbols are inclusive; only that the state needs to behave in a judicious manner.
The second plenum, moderated by young poet Nabin Sharma had the Mayor of Ghorani Sub-metropolitan City Mr. Nar Bahadur Chaudhary, culture and folk heritage expert Dr. Govinda Acharya, expert of tourism Prof. Dr. Shiva Kumar Subedi, and Chief of Dang District Coordination Committee, Mr. Jitendraman Nepali as panelists. The speakers highlighted tremendous potentials of professional tourism in Dang, and stressed the need to promote it further.
The second day of the festival is scheduled to have three plenums on the story of the aboriginal communities in the cinema, corruption in literature, and suffocation in the literature of the Diaspora.