Report by Santanu Ganguly, Jaipur: Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 saw a unique cultural collaboration between two diverse countries on Jan. 26, 2013. At Asia’s largest literature festivals, vice-president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Syed Shahid Mahdi, unveiled the Arabic version of the Ramayana translated by famed Lebanese poet, Wadi-al-Bustani. The book, titled Ramayana, will promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of each other’s spiritual heritage.
Syed Shahid Mahdi stressed the importance of cultural cooperation between India and the Arabic world, as he welcomed the delegates from Kalima, the Abu Dhabi translation and publishing initiative. Speaking at the launch, he said that “every culture has a Ramayana”, meaning that every society has its own great works of spiritual illumination and it is a profound act of humanity to share each other’s most powerful stories.
Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale received the first copy of the book, and stressed the “importance of sharing secular values through the translation of the great epics, which represent both Indian faith and mythic imagination.” Suresh Goel, president, ICCR, was also present at the occasion.
By bring the Ramayana to the world through this initiative, the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival has helped create a bridge between two cultures, with the objective of fostering long-term cultural interaction and mutual understanding.
The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival is considered to be Asia’s leading literature event, celebrating national and international writers, and encompassing a range of activities including film, music and theatre. The festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers including Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, John Berendt, Kiran Desai, Christopher Hampton, Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Simon Schama, Thomas Keneally, Hanif Kureishi, Vikram Chandra, Anoushka Shankar, Michael Frayn, Stephen Frears, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Tartt, Tina Brown, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammed Hanif, Paul Zacharia, among many others. The Directors of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festivals are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy and Sheuli Sethi of Teamwork Productions. DSC Limited is the principal sponsor of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival.
Teamwork is a highly versatile entertainment company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment and includes television, film – documentary and feature, and the creation and development of festivals of contemporary performing arts, visual arts, and literature across the world.
Teamwork currently produce 17 performing and visual arts festivals in 21 cities across 11countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA. Teamwork produces Asia’s biggest literary gathering – the annual DSC Jaipur Literature Festival – as well as the Hay Festival in Kerala. ‘Celebrating India in Israel’, ‘Indian Summer in Canada’, ‘Eye on India in Chicago’, ‘Kahaani Festival’ and ‘Strings of the World’ are five new annual performing and visual arts festivals that have been launched in 2011-2012.
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| Ramayana Launched in Arabic at Jaipur Literature Fest 2013 |
Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale received the first copy of the book, and stressed the “importance of sharing secular values through the translation of the great epics, which represent both Indian faith and mythic imagination.” Suresh Goel, president, ICCR, was also present at the occasion.
By bring the Ramayana to the world through this initiative, the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival has helped create a bridge between two cultures, with the objective of fostering long-term cultural interaction and mutual understanding.
The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival is considered to be Asia’s leading literature event, celebrating national and international writers, and encompassing a range of activities including film, music and theatre. The festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers including Orhan Pamuk, J.M. Coetzee, John Berendt, Kiran Desai, Christopher Hampton, Ian McEwan, Vikram Seth, Wole Soyinka, Salman Rushdie, Pico Iyer, Simon Schama, Thomas Keneally, Hanif Kureishi, Vikram Chandra, Anoushka Shankar, Michael Frayn, Stephen Frears, Alexander McCall Smith, Donna Tartt, Tina Brown, Shashi Tharoor, Mohammed Hanif, Paul Zacharia, among many others. The Directors of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festivals are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy and Sheuli Sethi of Teamwork Productions. DSC Limited is the principal sponsor of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival.
Teamwork is a highly versatile entertainment company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. Our expertise lies in the area of entertainment and includes television, film – documentary and feature, and the creation and development of festivals of contemporary performing arts, visual arts, and literature across the world.
Teamwork currently produce 17 performing and visual arts festivals in 21 cities across 11countries, including Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA. Teamwork produces Asia’s biggest literary gathering – the annual DSC Jaipur Literature Festival – as well as the Hay Festival in Kerala. ‘Celebrating India in Israel’, ‘Indian Summer in Canada’, ‘Eye on India in Chicago’, ‘Kahaani Festival’ and ‘Strings of the World’ are five new annual performing and visual arts festivals that have been launched in 2011-2012.
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