The ninth edition of Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF-2019), which coincided with the 70th Republic Day on Saturday, brought to the fore the role of Mahatma Gandhi In Indian literature, cinema and history.
Remembering the Father of the Nation, the day began with a plenary, “Gandhi: An Impossible Possibility”, by author and historian Sudhir Chandra. It was chaired by Gujarati poet Satish Yashaschandra.
Sudhir Chandra spoke extensively on the last days of Gandhi’s life. One topic that was widely discussed throughout the day was how the younger generation perceives Gandhi as a freedom fighter and individual.
Speaking to #KhabarLive, Yashaschandra threw light on how this generation sees Mahatma by quoting the man himself, saying “Bhadelaoni nirdayata” in Gujarati, which roughly translates to “lack of compassion for others among the young and educated, owing to survival”.
Another event that remembered Gandhi was a panel discussion on “The Mahatma and the Movies” by filmmakers Govind Nihalani and Suresh Jindal.
The director-producer duo, who made the critically acclaimed film ‘Gandhi’ with Ben Kingsley in the lead role, said the fact that their movie was still remembered showed how influential the Mahatma had been.
Rain plays spoilsport, Sun comes to the rescue as visitors wait for the commencement of an event as rain interrupted proceedings briefly.
The day started on a gloomy note, with dark clouds shrouding the city. The much-anticipated rain did come down heavily upon the event with talks and workshops being disrupted for a considerable amount of time. Sadly for the stall owners, who kept a variety of books and clothing, rain was a concern, dampening their exhibits and spirits. However, after the spell of rain, the sun shone bright, cheering up everyone at the venue.
Tribals from Chinturu in Bhadrachalam mesmerised the visitors by performing their traditional ‘Kommu Koya’ dance. All eyes were on the performers as they danced to their indigenous drumbeats.
Students of all ages visited the HLF in big numbers over the first two days of the event. Day 2, being the Republic Day, had children from several schools attending the festival, after the flag hoisting ceremonies in their respective schools. A first-year Psychology and English Literature student from Loyola College, Zainab Tahir, said it was a great opportunity for her and her classmates to interact with students from other colleges in the city, while getting to sit through informative talks and workshops. #KhabarLive
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