The third day of the Tagore International Literature & Arts Festival ‘Vishwarang 2020’ brought into focus the future of arts and culture in the post-COVID world, which was followed by a conversation with the author of four best-selling non-fiction books, Sudha Menon.
With sessions like ‘Tagore and Gandhi: Their Philosophies, Sensitivities and Our World’ and ‘Contemporary Concerns in World Literature’, the day was all about showcasing the rich heritage of Indian philosophers, poets and writers along with providing critical acclaim to artists from the marginalized communities across the country.
Sharing her thoughts with people who want to pursue a career in writing, author Sudha Menon said, “I have been holding my writing workshops in India for the last 10 years or more. My number one tip for anybody who comes to my writing workshop is that if you want to be a good writer, you have to be a good reader. Learn to read and consume books for breakfast, lunch and dinner; only then you should hope to be a good writer.”
Focusing on the celebration of Indian cinema and its artists, with the aim of displaying the essence of Hindi cinema to a global audience, an interactive session was held with Cinema Stalwarts like Raghuveer Yadav, Malini Awasthi, Piyush Mishra and Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Day 3 of Vishwarang 2020 began with an energetic performance on Kathak dance by choreographer and dancer Kshama Malviya. As the day progressed, the audience got the opportunity to witness a session called ‘Pustak Yatra/Katha Yatra’ followed by few other ‘Author Sessions’ and a session showcasing the highlights of Vishwarang UK and Australia editions.
The last performance of Day 3 of Vishwarang 2020 saw an enthralling Mushaira in the fond remembrance of renowned Indian lyricist Rahat Indori, who departed from this world a few months back. The Mushaira was performed by prominent poets and literary scholars like Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Rajesh Reddy, Wasim Barelvi, Azm Shakiri, Shakeel Azmi, Madan Mohan Danish, Nusrat Mehandi and Parveen Kaif.
Organized by Bhopal-based Rabindranath Tagore University (RNTU), in collaboration with the Tagore International Centre for Arts and Culture Bhopal and the AISECT Group of Universities, Vishwarang 2020 aims to promote Indian literature, art and culture on a global scale via discussions, discourse and more. The inaugural session of the event, which was held in Bhopal in November 2019, was a grand success and witnessed participation from over 100 artists from more than 30 countries.