On the face of it, it was a flamboyant gesture of gratitude. A little while ago, two organisations from Pune suggested that the 88th edition of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan should be held in the Punjabi village of Ghuman. This is where the 13th century reforming Maharashtrian poet-Namdev had found a home 700 years ago. He spent two decades in these fields, composing hundreds of abhangs ‒ praise-poems to the god Vithalla. Two centuries later, 62 of these were incorporated in the sacred book of the Sikhs, the Adi Granth. Organising the most prestigious Marathi literature convention in Ghuman would be an excellent opportunity to reiterate the historical links between Maharashtra and Punjab, it was thought.
But the day after the three-day convention ended on Sunday, it was clear that this had been a bad idea. Sessions were sparsely attended and not many books were sold.
No one could have anticipated this on March 3, when 7,000 writers, thinkers and literature lovers from Maharashtra rolled into the nondescript village in two chartered trains. The village was all spruced up for the occasion. Sewer lines had been laid, roads were tarred, sanitation was improved, two schools were upgraded and the foundation stone was laid for a degree college for girls by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Ceremonial opening
The convention kicked off with a ceremonial flag hoisting ceremony and a procession of books. Musicians and dancers from Maharashtra walked through the streets of the village in a show the likes of which locals had never before witnessed. For their part, Ghuman’s residents operated several langars, or free community kitchens, charming their visitors with this display of Punjabs hospitality.
But even before the convention was inaugurated, the organisers had been dealt a blow: the Marathi Publishers Committee had refused to participate in the event, pointing out that the complete absence of Marathi speakers in Ghuman would inhibit book sales.
As the proceedings began in the newly constructed Guru Nanak Dev Hall on April 3, Ghuman’s residents realised that this was going to be a Marathi show. The language barrier sapped away the event’s spirit. Barring Parkash Singh Badal’s speech promising more sops for the village, there was nothing of interest for the locals.
The following days, events like kavi darbars and stimulating debates on adapting literature for celluloid featuring scholars like Ganesh Devi, Keshav Deshmukh and Sadanand More were thinly attended. The Maharashtrians were out sightseeing, visiting Amritsar and Wagah border about an hour away, and Punjabis couldn't see the point of showing up.
Forced national integration
On the third day of the convention on Sunday, the district administration of Gurdaspur issued orders for all education department employees to mark their attendance in Ghuman, so that the hall would not be empty when political luminaries like Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar arrived. The convention had been advertised as a sign of national integration, but the government staffers were not happy at being forced out of their homes on a Sunday.
The presence of all these politicians didn’t strike anyone as unusal. Devy, the Maharashtrian writer, said this was a regular phenomenon. “Every year, over two lakh people attend the convention in Maharashtra, and politicians of all shades use this opportunity to show up,” he said. Organiser Sanjay Nahar attempted to make light of the issue by declaring, “All literature is inspired by politics.”
As the event wound down, not all the residents of Ghuman had a grip on what had transpired. “We got two new roads linking the village, we got drains cleaned overnight with machines, a new college for the village and a stadium is promised, we are happy,” said a tailor named Satnam Singh. But he wasn’t quite sure why. He declared, “Elections must be approaching!”
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But the day after the three-day convention ended on Sunday, it was clear that this had been a bad idea. Sessions were sparsely attended and not many books were sold.
No one could have anticipated this on March 3, when 7,000 writers, thinkers and literature lovers from Maharashtra rolled into the nondescript village in two chartered trains. The village was all spruced up for the occasion. Sewer lines had been laid, roads were tarred, sanitation was improved, two schools were upgraded and the foundation stone was laid for a degree college for girls by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Ceremonial opening
The convention kicked off with a ceremonial flag hoisting ceremony and a procession of books. Musicians and dancers from Maharashtra walked through the streets of the village in a show the likes of which locals had never before witnessed. For their part, Ghuman’s residents operated several langars, or free community kitchens, charming their visitors with this display of Punjabs hospitality.
But even before the convention was inaugurated, the organisers had been dealt a blow: the Marathi Publishers Committee had refused to participate in the event, pointing out that the complete absence of Marathi speakers in Ghuman would inhibit book sales.
As the proceedings began in the newly constructed Guru Nanak Dev Hall on April 3, Ghuman’s residents realised that this was going to be a Marathi show. The language barrier sapped away the event’s spirit. Barring Parkash Singh Badal’s speech promising more sops for the village, there was nothing of interest for the locals.
The following days, events like kavi darbars and stimulating debates on adapting literature for celluloid featuring scholars like Ganesh Devi, Keshav Deshmukh and Sadanand More were thinly attended. The Maharashtrians were out sightseeing, visiting Amritsar and Wagah border about an hour away, and Punjabis couldn't see the point of showing up.
Forced national integration
On the third day of the convention on Sunday, the district administration of Gurdaspur issued orders for all education department employees to mark their attendance in Ghuman, so that the hall would not be empty when political luminaries like Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar arrived. The convention had been advertised as a sign of national integration, but the government staffers were not happy at being forced out of their homes on a Sunday.
The presence of all these politicians didn’t strike anyone as unusal. Devy, the Maharashtrian writer, said this was a regular phenomenon. “Every year, over two lakh people attend the convention in Maharashtra, and politicians of all shades use this opportunity to show up,” he said. Organiser Sanjay Nahar attempted to make light of the issue by declaring, “All literature is inspired by politics.”
As the event wound down, not all the residents of Ghuman had a grip on what had transpired. “We got two new roads linking the village, we got drains cleaned overnight with machines, a new college for the village and a stadium is promised, we are happy,” said a tailor named Satnam Singh. But he wasn’t quite sure why. He declared, “Elections must be approaching!”