It is not religion or politics, but art and culture that play the unifying role in India, said poet Vairamuthu at the North-East and Southern writers meet organised by the Sahitya Akademi on Tuesday.
“It is not just North-Eastern states, but even the literary works of these areas remain alien to us. We have read more about Russian literature than works of writers from these states,” he said and expressed the hope that the meet would fulfil the gap.
Noting that geographical location of the North-Eastern states was both a boon and curse, Mr. Vairamuthu said the social responsibility to convert the curse into a boon rested with Indian people.
He said literature could provide a window to the diverse culture of North Eastern states. “Flowers are integral part of women’s life in Tamil Nadu, but women in Assam do not use them. Honour killing and casteism are rampant in Tamil Nadu. But in Manipur, the choice of selecting their life partners is left with boys and girls. We need to learn from them,” he said.
Pointing out administrative delays were a challenge to Sahitya Akademi in bringing out translations, he expressed the hope it would overcome the shortcoming.
Secretary of the Akademi K. Sreenivasrao said there were cultural commonalities between Tamil Nadu and North-Eastern states and the Tamil drama Alli Rajyam had its origin in Manipuri.
‘Literature could provide a window to the diverse
culture of North Eastern states’
