The Valley of Words Literature and Art Festival enters its 8th Edition this year. Dr Tania Saili Bakshi caught up with Founder Dr Sanjeev Chopra to find out what one can expect from this year’s Literature and Art Festival scheduled for the 16th-17th of November.
This is the eighth edition of VoW. What has changed, and what remains the same?
Well, I would say that each of our editions reflect both continuity and change – in equal measure. This edition will feature 75 authors in fifty sessions as well as twelve book launches, four candid conversations, six exhibitions and Vox Populi – the debate among parliamentarians. The core element – that of celebrating the eight best books in the genres of Hindi and English Fiction, non-fiction and translations remains the same, as well as celebration of poetry in Urdu, Hindi and English, besides the award-winning performances of Iti Natya and Iti Nritya are continued year on year. The VoW REC Award winning books include ENGLISH FICTION: Smriti Ravindra for The Woman Who Climbed Trees, ENGLISH NON-FICTION Manoj Mitta for Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India, HINDI FICTION Uday Prakash Antim Nimbu, HINDI NON- FICTION Dr Suresh Pant for Shabdon Ke Sath Sath; WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS Shabnam Minwalla for Zen, WRITINGS/PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN Vibha Batra for The Chhau Champ, HINDI TRANSLATION Subhash Nirav for Ambar Pariya and Anjum Katyla in ENGLISH TRANSLATION for Truth/Untruth.
While the format of the Candid Conversations and Vox Populi is the same, the themes reflect issues that have a bearing on the contemporary. This explains the discussions on the uniform civil code for Uttarakhand and its implications for India, the impact of migration on the demography of Uttarakhand and the future of the print media.
What is new this year is Lead@ VoW- a unique initiative in which we have tried to connect Himjyoti School, Gyananda School, Jaswant Modern Sr Sec School, Doon International School, Mount Fort Academy, The Tonsbridge School, St. Kabeer, Kasiga with eight top knowledge institutions of Dehradun Dr. Dwijen Sen Memorial Kala Kendra, Forest Research Institute, Naval Hydrographic Office, Survey of India, Swami Rama Himalaya Institute, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Wildlife Institute of India and Sakya College. Select students have visited these knowledge centres, held discussions with the key stakeholders, and are ready to engage with those at the helm of these institutions to understand, not just career opportunities for students, but also the contribution of these centres in the evolution of a Viksit Bharat.
How has the festival evolved over the years?
I would say that the evolution has been incremental. Our outreach with the universities , schools, knowledge institutions and communities has certainly increased. Our volunteers are taking over many of the communication functions – this has certainly given the festival a ‘feel young, look young look’. The introduction of Iti Natya (over the last three years) and Iti Nritya (over the last two years) have been very positive features. We dropped the school and college debate because we felt that many other platforms were available. The idea is not to replicate anything which is being done by other institutions, but to have as many opportunities and options for our attendees.
Tell us more about Iti Nritya and Iti Natya verticals?
The full credit for these verticals goes to Shalini Rao. She has the tough task of inviting entries, and heading the adjudication team which selects the best entries from the genre of eight classical dances. The three artists selected this year include Kirti Kurande (Kathak), Ratri Manik (Manipuri) and Sandip Kundu (Kuchipudi). She will also be doing a session called ‘Mudrao ki Bhasha‘ (Language of the Mudras). With regard to Iti Natya , we have been collaborating with Young Indians of CII. This year, the theme was Abhigyan Shakuntalam in which: Doon International School,Doon Global School, Gyananda School, Himjyoti School, Jaswant Modern Sr. Sec School, Ma Anandmayi School, Shri Ram Centennial School, St. Kabeer School, The Tonsbridge School, The Oasis School, Wisdom Global School, Haridwar participated. The award-winning school will get to perform on the main stage.
Give us a brief of what all topics will we be covering over the two-day Signature Event?
I would suggest that you include the session schedule as an annexe to the interview – for it is not really possible to cover all the sessions – and to me each session is special and unique. In fact, one USP of our festival is that we do not bank on celebrities or controversies. And I also run the risk of annoying the authors/ resource persons of any session that I do not mention here . Everyone is sensitive, but writers and artists, more so!
What special do we have for school students?
As I mentioned Lead@ VoW has seen a very positive involvement of the school students . I am sure they will enjoy this. They may also like the exhibition of the Museums of Uttarakhand as well as the session on Antiquities and Antiques, which we are organizing with INTACH and the Archaeological survey of India.
Do college going students have sessions that could interest them? Are you tying up with local universities?
Yes, indeed. And the response has been overwhelming. Doon University, DIT, IMS, Graphic Era, GEHU, SRHU, Uttaranchal and UPES are all participating in this edition. Some of them have adopted sessions, preparing their students as rapporteurs and also helping in the curation of sessions. Another forum which will interest the college going students is the Candid Conversations.
How many book launches have been scheduled over two days?
We have twelve book launches: I will not name the books for two reasons. First, I do not wish to play favourites, and second, perhaps even more importantly, I want your readers to look at the session schedule, and in any case, we will resume our conversation tomorrow.
(This interview will be presented in two parts, tune in tomorrow for more on VoW 8th Edition)
