A region of strife and promise

Regional cooperation is an age-old means for countries to seek improved security and economic prospects. South Asian countries have been hesitant to adopt it as a desideratum of foreign policy, due to ingrained differences among the nation-states of the subcontinent, particularly the recurrent conflict syndrome afflicting India and Pakistan. Countries in South-East Asia, Europe and the Americas have successfully banded together. Viewed in this context, the disappointing performance of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a reproach to its eight members.

But, lately, this region is gaining more attention globally, partly because of the rapid expansion of the Indian economy since 1991 and partly because Pakistan has become a base for terrorist forays eastward and westward. The challenge of statesmanship for South Asian countries is to overcome the negative factors and build on the positive.

The two books under review contain monographs on the South Asian region. State and Foreign Policy in South Asia comes from Heidelberg University in the series devoted to the study of “comparative politics”. One problem with such seminar papers on contemporary developments is that they tend to become dated, except for rare seminal contributions. The internet serves as a far superior medium for tracking changes in international relations. For instance, the paper on “the new dynamics of Indian foreign policy and its ambiguities,” by Subrata Mitra and Jivanta Schottli, discusses India's “ambivalent” anti-terrorism drive, but is not updated to cover the Pakistani-planned terror attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 (“26/11”).

Full report here Hindu

Green letter days

More than 150 writers, many of them leading names, from the eight SAARC nations have converged in Delhi for the 33 rd SAARC Festival of Literature. Over the next three days, there will be outpourings of writings from the likes of fiction writers Selina Hossain of Bangladesh, Tahira Iqbal of Pakistan, AK Rashid from Afghanistan, Abhi Subedi from Nepal, Kunzang Choden from Bhutan and poet Lakshanta Athukorala from Sri Lanka.

India is represented by a large contingent comprising Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair, Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi and poet-lyricist Gulzar among others. “For the writers, the event dissolves borders as they discuss issues that concern all of us. For readers, it’s a time to meet the people with whose words they have become familiar,” says poet K Satchidanandan, who recited from his works That is all on Friday, the first day of the festival.

Every year, the festival focuses on a pressing issue, and the present edition is highlighting environment degradation. Hence, the list of awardees included not only Pakistani media person Hamid Mir (who won the SAARC Lifetime Achievement Award), Indian writer and journalist MarkTully and Subedi (who won the SAARC Literary Awards), but also environmentalists Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal and Baba Sewa Singh from Punjab and archaeologist KK Muhammad. Each day is divided into two parts — academic discussions followed by reading sessions.

Full report here Indian Express

SAARC festival embroiled in controversy

Indian leaders skipped the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Festival of Literature on Saturday March 27 due to a stinging write-up in the festival’s souvenir against former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao were supposed to address writers and academics from SAARC countries at the inaugural session. But Ansari’s secretariat drew his attention to the write-up by festival co-organiser Ajit Kaur written after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984 and re-published in the souvenir the Indian vice president was supposed to release.

The state-run Indian Council for Cultural Relations Chairman Dr Karan Singh, a former union minister, attended the festival as his organisation was roped in as a co-sponsor by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL). Dr Karan Singh, who is heir of the Kashmiri royal family, demanded action against Kaur for releasing the book attacking Indira Gandhi.

Ajit Kaur is a 76-year-old writer, Sahitya Akademi Award winner and president of FOSWAL, whose chairman is renowned writer Khushwant Singh while Dr Abid Hussain, former Indian ambassador to the US is the executive chairman. Kaur wrote the controversial nine-page write-up titled ‘November 1984’ and translated it to English from Punjabi. She had referred to Indira Gandhi as ‘empress’ in the write-up, which describes the ‘black and bloody days’ that stunned New Delhi on October 31, 1984.

Full report here Daily Times

33rd SAARC Literature Festival from March 26-29

The impact of environment on literature will be the focus of the 33rd SAARC Festival of Literature at the India International Centre from March 26-29.

Writers, academics, artists, folklorists, historians, greens, and peace and gender activists from eight South Asian countries will discuss how nature and environment have been key constituents of literature as well as visual and performing arts since times immemorial, a communique from the Foundation of SAARC Writers' and Literature said Wednesday.

It has been organised by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

The highlight will be a series of seminars on nature, literature, art, health, reconnecting to myths and legends about environment, globalisation, tribal perspective on ecology, heritage, architecture and civilizations.

Full report here Sify 

Anti-India forces involved in mutiny, say Bangla authors

PTI is reporting that leading authors from Bangladesh are saying they do not have any doubt about involvement of anti-India forces and elements opposed to the liberation movement in the mayhem

Report:
Renowned authors, attending the SAARC festival of literature in Agra, were unanimous in pointing finger at " a country opposed to Bangladesh's liberation in fanning violence" as part of a "big conspiracy" to destabilise the Sheikh Hasina-led government. "I think elements opposed to India and opposed to creation of Bangladesh were behind the conspiracy," Khondakar Ashraf Hossain, a popular literary figure in Bangladesh, said without naming Pakistan.

Known as one of the finest voices on the literary horizon of the country, Ashraf alleged that "Pakistani ISI is working in Bangladesh" and there were reports that "crores of rupees have been given to common jawans to rise in rebellion."

"The big plan was to plunge the country into total chaos," he further alleged. Asked about the Bangla author's view, Pakistani writer Zahid Nawaz said the allegations were not acceptable. "We do not accept what has been said. We should live in peace and work for a peaceful environment around us," he said.

Over 70 army officers were killed in the revolt at the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles last month.

Another renowned author Selina Hossain alleged that"some elements in former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party could have been involved in the horrible mutiny."

"It (mutiny) was a conspiracy against the democratically elected government," Salina, author of many popular books,said. Asked whether she believed ISI was also involved in the conspiracy, she said "I think so". Pointing fingers towards hardline Jamaat-e-Islami, anally of BNP, Selina said those who did not want the current government to carry out the trial of 1971 war criminals could have also played a role in the conspiracy. She said prosecution of war criminals will create problem for BNP and Jamaat as it will hurt them politically. "Even Pakistan does not want trial of the war criminals."

Pakistani government had sent a diplomat to Dhaka in February to request the Awami League government not to go ahead with the trial of the war criminals. Ashraf said the plan of the conspirators was to "create a1975-like situation in the country when most members of the Bangladesh's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's family were killed."

"They thought after the killing of the army officers, the army will move with tanks and machine guns and gun down mutineers. That would have created a chain reaction. The plan was to create a civil war kind of situation."

Agrees Muhmmad Samad, another writer from the country, who believed the conspiracy was "to destabilise the country as well as to stall the trial of those found guilty of war crimes." Critical of Khaleda Zia's "narrow politics", Samad, whois a professor at the Institute of Social Welfare and Researchin Dhaka University, claimed the BNP does not want strong and friendly ties with India. Ashraf, who is also Professor of English at the University of Dhaka, also praised India for extending support to Hasina so that she could tackle the situation.

"External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee did a very good job. He sent out a message saying that India was behind Bangladesh," he said adding, Indian government alerted BSF so that the mutineers cannot escape to India. Supporting Awami government's policy towards India,Selina said India sacrificed a lot to ensure freedom for Bangladesh. "It was Indira Gandhi who went to various countries to get support for freedom of Bangladesh."

The authors are attending the the literary festival organised by Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL), where authors, academicians and peace activists from all the SAARC countries are participating.

Saarc lit meet calls for peace

Authors, activists and academicians from the SAARC region, including India and Pakistan, pledged to work to build more peace in the area.

Participants of the four-day SAARC Festival of Literature in Agra called for sincere efforts to have greater understanding across borders to take the region out of the "difficult phase".

Pakistani author Awais Sheikh too agreed that terrorism was the bigest threat to the region and it was time to work together to combat the menace.

Agra to host SAARC lit fest

The city of the Taj will host about 60 writers, poets and scholars from all the eight south Asian countries at the SAARC Festival of Literature, to be held in the city from March 13-16.

Besides literature, considerable attention is expected to be on terrorism, ethnic angst and popular culture. "The focus this year is on terrorism. The foundation is organising the festival at a time when expectations from the creative fraternity and peace activists have soared in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and sensitivities of the creative fraternity across the SAARC region, particularly in Pakistan and India, are shaken and bruised," festival founder Ajeet Caur said.

Caur set up the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature in 1997, which received the government seal in 1999.

13 writers from Pakistan and 8 from Afghanistan are to attend the festival. Afghanistan and Myanmar are participating at this annual festival for the first time.

Expected participants include Jayant Mahapatra, who will inaugurate the festival, Mahashweta Devi, Kapila Vatsyayan, Gulzar, Abid Hussain, M J Akbar, Mushirul Hasan, Seema Mustafa and Indira Goswami.