ALSphere Foundation
Asian Literary Society and Journal of Asian Art, Culture and Literature (JAACL) have initiated a new forum with the purpose of interaction with literary luminaries from other Asian countries. The second chapter in this series, Asia Forum – Chapter 2: Nepal was conducted as a virtual event on Saturday, 17th July 2021 at 1745 hours (5:45 PM) IST.
List of Participants:
Mr. Yuyutsu Sharma: Writer and Poet
Mr. Sarad Pradhan: Writer and Poet
Mr. Arun Budhathoki: Writer and Poet
Program Co-ordinator: Ms. Vandana Bhasin, Writer and Artist
The session was inaugurated by the Founder of ALS and Editor-in-chief of JAACL, Mr Manoj Krishnan. He welcomed the esteemed panelists to the session, and introduced the moderator Ms. Vandana Bhasin.
Ms. Vandana initiated the session with words of Martin Luther “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” She spoke about the impact of writing on society and thereafter introduced the beautiful country of Nepal in two verses penned by her. She then welcomed each of the panelists to the forum and introduced them one by one.
The aim of the session was to honor the literary bards and gain an insight into the art, culture and literature of Nepal based on their personal experiences or views about their society, through an interesting set of questions followed by recitation of their creative pieces.
Mr. Yuyutsu Sharma, an internationally acclaimed poet and translator who also teaches creative writing in North American and European countries, talked about the role of literature and contributions of present day writers in the society, especially Nepal while emphasizing that poetry is formidable and one needs to rise above others to present his views in the form of writing. He mentioned that literature is the soul of Nepal. He recited two of his poems. One of the poem titled “Little Paradise Lodge” from his book “Annapurna”, provided vivid imagery about the striking Himalayas and the other titled “You are a New Yorker” from his book “A blizzard in my bones” that reflected upon the life and people of New York city.
Mr. Sarad Pradhan who has been in the field of writing for more than three decades, amazed the viewers with the fact that there are 123 ethnicities and languages spoken in Nepal while answering to the question about how Nepalese culture has impacted the pen of Nepalese writers. He read an interesting piece of writing about Mr. Taranath Sarma who is a famous, award-winning writer of Nepal and has authored 112 books.
Mr. Arun Budhathoki who is a Nepalese journalist and poet took the opportunity to thank ALS for the initiative and mentioned that literature bridges the gap created by politics and borders. He recited two of his intriguing poems titled “New Song” and “Facekeeper”. His poetry was refreshing, insightful and provided new perspective.
Ms. Vandana Bhasin concluded the session with humble gratitude to the panelists.
The session ended with a vote of thanks by Mr. Manoj Krishnan.
The event has been archived on the YouTube channel of the Asian Literary Society, and can be viewed through the following link: https://youtu.be/0bH9YbZIG5g
