The festival formally started with the Chief Guest, Ganga Prasad Upreti, Vice Chancellor of Nepal Academy, signing his name of a canvas, followed by other litterateurs. “This festival is the brainchild of positive and energetic youth of Jhapa,” commented Upreti, adding, “This festival has decentralized the literature and arts scene which earlier used to only be centered in Kathmandu.”
Engaging panel discussions on poetry and its readership, literature from across the border and the revival of national languages were held while author Khagendra Sangroula gave his two cents on contemporary time and literature.
“Today’s interactions were quite exciting. I enjoyed the session on poetry and its readership where the participating poets accepted the fact that there was a lack of quality poem writing. The session concluded that there are a lot of readers of poetry but that poetry was not accessible to these readers,” shared Uday Adhikari, a commentator and reader from Chitwan.
“The talk by Khagendra Sangroula was also interesting as he delved into contemporary Nepali literature and opined that writers currently, don’t prefer taking the risk and writing about deep or grave subjects. He mentioned that particularly, no one has been able to write well on the ten-year long insurgency period in Nepal,” added Adhikari.
“Art and Literature Festival 2069 is a festival of words, perspectives, talent, skill and culture,” said Ujjwal Prasai, Chairman of the festival. Like he, as the Chairman of the festival, hopes the festival, which now gives Jhapa a lead in the region for the successful initiation of a National festival of the arts and literature, will go on to be an identity of Kakarvitta.
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