AMU Literary Festival is an annual literary festival organised by Aligarh Muslim University.[1] University Debating and Literary Club (UDLC) formerly University Literary Club of the university organises the festival. Some of the previous invitees include news anchor and author Rajdeep Sardesai, poet Keki N. Daruwalla, politician Mani Shankar Aiyar and independent journalist Rana Ayyub.
| AMU Literary Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Literary festival |
| Frequency | Annually, Feb-March |
| Venue | Kennedy House Complex |
| Location(s) | Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh |
| Country | India |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Participants | Open for all |
| Activity | Workshops, Lectures, Interaction sessions, Discussions |
| Patron(s) | Prof. Tariq Mansoor |
| Organised by | University Debating and Literary Club, Aligarh Muslim University |
Organisation
editThe festival is organized under the auspices of the University Literary and Debating Club of the Aligarh Muslim University.[2] The club consists of students as its members. The festival is the University Debating and Literary Club's flagship event.
Journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai talking about media, activists such as Paranjoy Guha Thakurta talking about crony capitalism and novelists like Chandrahas Choudhury having panel discussions about the Indian novel; the festival is a diverse celebration of literature and mass communication, in all its forms.
The festival attracts audience from all across the city, transcending the boundary of the university. Previous invitees include the poet Keki N. Daruwalla, politician Mani Shankar Aiyar and independent journalist Rana Ayyub. With people from diverse areas coming together and talking about the issues of the day and age, the festival is truly a melting pot of culture. Workshops to teach students about the ins and outs of various forms of writing and public speaking are also conducted as a part of the festival, which rounds out the educational experience.
The University Literary Club was established in 1973. The club is the extension of the oldest literary Society of AMU, the "Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Literary Society" founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan himself. The University Literary Club was rechristened as University Debating and Literary Club in 2015.
Past festivals
editLit Fest 2019
editThe festival was organized from 8–10 March 2019.[3]
Day 1, March 8, 2019
- Inaugural lecture by Mr. Siddhart Varadarajan on Under Siege- The Media and the Idea of a University. He talked about the media and educational institutions becoming besieged by certain forces, giving examples of controversies in universities like AMU and JNU. He also mentioned how social media has become a space to target the dissenters.
- Panel discussion on The Relevance of Literary Festivals by Mrs. Jaishree Misra, Mr. Jerry Pinto, and Prof. Shafey Kidwai, moderated by Ms. Alisha Ibkar. Mr. Jerry Pinto highlighted the importance of reading for the survival of democracy. Misra and Kidwai discussed literary festivals as the sites of self-exploration and revolution.
- Storytelling and Recitation by Syed Asghar Wajahat.
- The day ended with a cultural evening with the Secretary, President, and Coordinator of CEC managing the event.
Day 2, March 9, 2019
- There were a lot of panel discussions-
Reading Literature in the Age of 140 Characters by Mr. Jerry Pinto, Dr. Nafis Faizi, and Mr. Md. Danish Iqbal, moderated by Mr. Kashif Ilyas. The discussion was centered around the condition of literature in this age of extremities, and how instant gratification on social media and the shortening attention span of people has impacted literature.
Book Launch and Discussion on the book Lynch Files by Mr. Ziya Us Salam, moderated by Mr. Fawaz Shaheen. Mr. Ziya Us Salam talked about how murders in the past used to happen on religious grounds, but now lynchings are more of a conspiracy to target a particular person.
Ground(ed) Report in the Digital Scape by Mr.Mahtab Alam, Mr. Shoaib Daniyal, and Mr. Gulam Jeelani, moderated by Prof. Mohammad Sajjad. The panelists talked about the problems journalists encounter in the digital era of reporting. There were also discussions about how difficult it is to report on communal violence. The issue of fake news was an important point.
Majoritarianism: The Undoing of Democracy by Mr. Ziya Us Salam, Mr. Shoaib Daniyal, and Prof. Asmer Beg, moderated by Dr. Tarushikha Sarvesh. The major topics of discussion were minority issues, communal violence, the safety of women, etc.
Conversation on Mothering a Muslim by Ms. Nazia Erum. The book focuses on Muslim women, especially Muslim mothers, a group which, she said, has little representation in Indian literature. Professor Ayesha Munira was the other panelist.
The last event of the day was Zabaan-Daraaz by the University Drama Club.
Day 3, March 10, 2019
- There were two-panel discussions-
Urdu Novel ka Badalta Manzarnamah by Mr. Rahman Abbas, Prof. Shafey Kidwai, and Prof. Tariq Chhatari, moderated by Prof. Siraj Ajmali. They talked about the rising position of the Urdu language in Indian popular culture. Where short stories have made a comeback, the Urdu novel still hasn't found its place.
Literature and Resistance: Rethinking the Politics of Literature by Dr. Shah Alam Khan, Prof. Apoorvanand, Mr. Manoj Jha, and Mr. Harsh Mander, moderated by Dr. Irfanullah Faarooqui. The discussion revolved around the way literature has become a medium of dissent over the years, and how, in the current socio-political scenario, writers have to be careful with their words.
- Poetry session by Dr. Sukrita Kumar and Dr. Rekha Sethi.
- Lecture on Journalism in the Age of Muscular Nationalism by Mrs. Sagarika Ghose. The lecture was about the crude tactics of criminal intimidation that the government has adopted lately.
- Talk by Mr. Saurabh Dwivedi on Main aur Musalman, Aapbeeti, Jagbeeti. He talked about the stark difference he felt in his life as a journalist, after spending his childhood in a place with communal harmony.
- Session on Aks-e-Yusuf by Mr. Mohammad Sabeeh Bukhari, Mr Nadim Mahir and Prof. Shafey Kidwai.
At the end there was a tribute to Ankit Chadha & Dastan-e-Tamanna-e-Sarfaroshi, and the LitFest 2019 concluded with a qawwali by the Folk and Traditional Music Club of Aligarh Muslim University.
- List of Guests in 2019
| Name | Field |
|---|---|
| Siddharth Vardarajan[4] | Journalist, Academic, Founding Editor of https://thewire.in |
| Nazia Erum[5] | Journalist and author |
| Sagarika Ghose | Journalist, columnist and author |
| Jaishree Misra | Indian writer and journalist |
| Ziya Us Salam | Writer and journalist |
| Apoorvanand | Professor, Delhi University, Social critic |
| Mahtab Alam | Executive Editor- The Wire Urdu, journalist and writer |
| Shah Alam Khan | Author and Professor of Orthopaedics, AIIMS, New Delhi |
| Manoj Jha | Author and Professor, University of Delhi, Member of Rajya Sabha |
| Saurabh Dwivedi | Editor, TheLallantop.com |
| Shoaib Daniyal | Journalist |
| Harsh Mander | Director, Centre of Equity Studies and Social activist |
| Asghar Wajahat | Scholar, novelist, playwright and television scriptwriter |
| Gulam Jeelani | Journalist and Assistant Editor of Mail Today |
| Jerry Pinto | Author, poet, and recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (2016) |
| Rahman Abbas | Author and Sahitya Akademi Award Winner (2018) |
Lit Fest 2018
editThe festival was organized from 9–11 March 2018.
Day 1, 9 March 2018
- Sankarshan Thakur declared the LitFest open with his inaugural lecture on 'The Necessity of Speaking'.[6]
- DastanGoi: Tilism-e-Hoshruba was performed by Meera Rizvi and Syed Shadab Hussain. Directed by Mahmood Farooqui and produced by Anusha Rizvi.
Day 2, 10 March 2018
- Panel discussion on Urdu Zubaan o Adab ka Haal aur Mustaqbil by Sanjeev Saraf. Dr. Siraj Ajmali was the moderator.
- Poetry recitation by UDLC members with Sudhanshu Firdaus.
- There was also a book reading session-
An Ordinary Man's Guide to Radicalism by Neyaz Faarooqui
Clouds by Chandrahas Choudhury
- A panel discussion on The Case/Curse of Caste in India with Prof. Satish Deshpande and Shuddhabrata Sen Gupta. The session was moderated by Md. Danish Iqbal.
- Another panel discussion on Populism in the Age of Conspicuous Consumption involving Mukul Kesavan, Prof. Saugata Bhaduri, and Kalpana Sharma, moderated by Riad Azam.
- Muzamil Jaleel, deputy editor of Indian Express gave a lecture.
- There were numerous other panel discussions-
Ghalib ke Khatoot & Faiz and Alys Faiz's Letters presented by Impresario Asia, Shamir Abadan, Mannu Kohli and K.K Kohli.
Day 3, 11 March 2018
Life Imitating Literature or Literature Imitating Life: A Debate in the Context of Identities- Chandrahas Chaudhury Akhilesh, Prof. Asim Siddiqui. Moderator- Dr. Irfanullah Farooqi
Disabled Literature: Creative Writing, Pedagogy and Politics of Disability Representation- Dr. Hemchandran Karah, Dr. Jyothsna Phanija, Boopathi P. Moderator- Alisha Ibkar
People as Numbers: Re-engaging with Politics and Democracy in India- Prof. Apoorvanand Jha, chaired by Prof. Mirza Asmer Beg
- There was also a book reading session by Farah Naqvi, as well as a poetry recitation session.
- The last event was The Art of Storytelling by Neelesh Misra.
- List of Guests in 2018
| Name | Field |
|---|---|
| Sankarshan Thakur | Print journalist |
| Sanjeev Saraf | Founder, Chairman, and principal shareholder of Polyplex Corporation Limited |
| Satish Deshpande | Professor of Sociology, University of Delhi |
| Kalpana Sharma | Columnist and former deputy editor of The Hindu |
| Dr. Saugata Bhaduri | Professor at Centre for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Jyothsna Phanija | Poet, Fiction Writer, editor, and essayist |
| Neelesh Misra | Journalist, author, radio storyteller, scriptwriter, and lyricist |
| Mukul Kesavan | Indian historian, novelist, political and social essayist |
Lit Fest 2017
editThe festival was organized from 3–5 March 2017.
- List of Guests in 2017
| Name | Field | |
|---|---|---|
| Swara Bhaskar | Actress | |
| Ashok Vajpeyi | Poet in Hindi, essayist, literary-cultural critic, and a former civil servant | |
| Prof. Manoj K Jha | Professor of Social Work | |
| Aditi Rao | Poet, activist and essayist. | |
| Zafar Anjum | Author and journalist | |
| Tushar Gandhi | Journalist | |
| Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar | Medical officer and activist | |
| Omair Ahmad | Writer | |
| Hilal Ahmed[7] | Editor, writer, teacher and producer | |
| de:Chandrahas Choudhury | Literary critic and novelist |
Literary Festival (2016)
edit- List of Guests
| Name | Field | Video link |
|---|---|---|
| Rajdeep Sardesai | News anchor and author | Watch video - 1, 2, 3 |
| Paranjoy Guha Thakurta | Journalist and political commentator | Watch video - 1, 2 |
| Keki N. Daruwalla | Poet and writer | Watch video - 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Mani Shankar Aiyar | Diplomat and politician | Watch video - 1, 2 |
| de:Chandrahas Choudhury | Literary critic and novelist | |
| Mariam Karim Ahlawat | Teacher, freelance editor and a writer | |
| Satyarth Nayak | Author, script-writer & journalist | |
| Nivedita Menon | Feminist writer and professor | Watch video - 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Rana Safavi[8] | Author and historian | |
| Sarwat Khan | Contemporary Urdu writer |
Literary Festival 2015
edit- List of guests
| Name | Field | Video link |
|---|---|---|
| Jerry Pinto | Writer and journalist | Watch video - 1, 2, 3, 4 |
| Sudeep Sen | Poet and editor | |
| Syed Asghar Wajahat | Scholar, novelist, independent documentary filmmaker and television scriptwriter |
|
| Rakhshanda Jalil | Writer, critic and literary historian | |
| Radha Chakravarty[9] | Writer, critic and translator | |
| Prof. Purushottam Agrawal | Academician, novelist, literary critique, theologian, secularist, columnist and broadcaster |
|
| Aseem Ahmed Abbasee | Lyricst poet and creative writer | |
| Yaseen Anwer[10] | Multilingual poet | |
| Kausar Munir | Lyricist and screenwriter | |
| Rana Ayyub | Journalist and independent columnist | Watch video - 1, 2 |
| Sami Ahmad Khan | Author | |
| Manisha Sethi | Teacher and author | |
| Hilal Ahmed[11] | Editor, writer, teacher and producer | |
| Dr. Saamdu Chettri[12] | Head of first Gross National Happiness Centre[13] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Aligarh Muslim University | AMU". Aligarh Muslim University. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Literary Club". Cultural Education Centre, AMU. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "AMU Literary Festival 2019 Begins Today". NDTV.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "The Wire: The Wire News India, Latest News, News from India, Politics, External Affairs, Science, Economics, Gender and Culture".
- ^ "Nazia Erum on The Quint". TheQuint. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Sankarshan Thakur Inaugurates The AMU Literary Festival 2018 | The Aligarian". 10 March 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Hilal Ahmed | CSDS". www.csds.in. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Rana Safavi at AMU Lit Fest 2.0". 3 March 2016.
- ^ "Radha Chakravarty".
- ^ "About Yaseen Anwer".
- ^ "About Hilal Ahmed".
- ^ "Dr. Saamdu Chettri, Executive Director, GNH Centre Bhutan, was invited to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) as the Valedictory Guest for their first ever literary festival". www.gnhcentrebhutan.org/. Gross National Happiness Centre Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Dr. Saamdu Chettri (25 July 2015). "The turbulent life story of Bhutan's happiness guru". BBC. Candida Beveridge BBC World Service, Bhutan. Retrieved 25 July 2015.