Two sessions for poets and short-story writers were organized by the Gujarati Sahitya Parishad and Sahitya Academy, Mumbai beginning Wednesday to provide a platform to upcoming writers.
Rajendra Patel, chief secretary of Parishad said, “These creative sessions are conducted to boost creativity in the younger generation, and also their interest in vernacular literature. We have focused on women’s writing, contributions by dalits and also included upcoming male writers. There is a need for these writers to establish their identity in mainstream literature.”
‘Asmita’, the first session of the program at Parishad Hall on Wednesday discussed works of four women writers – poets Laxmi Dobaria and Darshini Dadawala, and two short story writers Bindu Bhatt and Chaya Trivedi. The session was chaired by poet and writer Saroop Dhruv.
Parishad will also conduct another session to discuss male writers on December 16. In a session titled ‘Mulakat’, works of poets Piyush Thakkar, Faruk Shah and short story writers Diwan Thakore and Navneet Jani would be discussed. The session is to be chaired by Kirit Dudhat, writer and residential additional commissioner of the city’s municipal corporation.
Commenting on the recent activities in literary creation, Patel added that there is a significant rise in interest towards vernacular poetry in the young generation. However, the short story form is still on the periphery. “Due to rising interest in Gujarati poetry, Parishad has recently begun conducting a monthly workshop for women poets to collectively read out and evaluate women’s writings. The workshop is attended by more than 50 writers,” Patel added.
