Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): President Droupadi Murmu has said that what literature tells us about our past is more authentic and credible than what history tells us about history. “The real history of humanity can be found in the great literary works of the world,” she said, adding that literature has been holding up the mirror to humanity, has preserved it and taken it forward.
The President was speaking after inaugurating the 'Unmesha' and 'Utkarsh' festivals organised by the Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi, respectively, at the Ravindra Bhavan in the city on Thursday.
The President said that we must find effective ways to build a greater understanding among peoples of different cultures and beliefs. “Literature has the unique ability to transcend differences,” she said.
The President said that literature is timeless and this is proved by the fact that the British empire that dominated the world for two centuries has become history but the writings of British author William Shakespeare still survive.
She stated that only those literatures and arts are meaningful which were created and presented by rising above 'I' and 'mine'. She added that translation of major works of all Indian languages into other languages would further enrich Indian literature.
Murmu said that Santhali and Oriya were the languages of her family and her native village but now “all the 140 crore Indians are my family and all languages and dialects are my own.”
The President said that almost the entire literature of Santhali language is found in the oral tradition. Raghunath Murmu supplied the language with a script called Ol Chiki.
She said that the people are still interested in literature. “I am told that an Oriya novel ‘Jagyaseni” is running into its 100th reprint,” she said.
Governor Mangubhai Patel and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also addressed the function. The Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak Akademi in association with the Madhya Pradesh culture department are organising this festival.
Over 800 Tribal, Folk Artistes’ Performance Mesmerise Audience
The inaugural function ended with a mesmerising 30-minutes performance presented by over 800 tribal and folk artistes from 36 states and union territories. The performance was themed on ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’. A team of 45 choreographers from Mumbai prepared the performance. The event was followed by a group photograph of the President with the artists. The script for the performance was penned by art critic Vinay Upadhyay from Bhopal. He also gave the voice-over. President awardee Kamal Jain from Bhopal designed colourful lights beautifully.
