Arunachal lit fest spotlights indigenous knowledge, eco-centric thought

Itanagar, Nov 21 (PTI) The second day of the seventh Arunachal Literature Festival (ALF) on Friday focused on indigenous worldviews, environmental ethics, and cross-cultural literary dialogue, highlighting the festival’s theme of 'Building Bridges through Literature.' Celebrated Naga author Easterine Kire urged a shift toward an ecocentric worldview and critiquing exploitative models of modern development.

Fellow writer Abhay K underscored the urgency of cultural memory, lamenting what he called "the forgetting of Nalanda." A key session, 'In Search of Abotani,' dove deep into indigenous mythologies, tracing the varied creation beliefs of the Adis, Nyishis and other tribes, showcasing Arunachal Pradesh’s rich but diverse spiritual heritage, an official communique said.

The day’s poetry readings opened on an engaging note with chief secretary Manish Kumar Gupta presenting a humorous poem about his relationship with his wife.

A debate on the 'Role of Literature Festivals' encouraged young readers to judge books "by their authors rather than the cover," advocating a more context-driven approach to reading.

A panel on 'Literary Translation' highlighted translation as an essential cultural bridge, enabling deeper cross-linguistic understanding.

A powerful session on 'Life Writings: Politics of Remembering' examined how personal narratives shape collective history and raised questions about whose stories are preserved. PTI UPL UPL MNB