Ghuman is a small town in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, where the 88th edition of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was held between March 3-March 5. On the face of it, many were surprised to see a Marathi literary festival in Punjab. But there were genuine reasons for holding it here. For this is where the 13th=century reformist Marathi poet-saint Namdev had found a home for over two decades , composing hundreds of abhangs – a form of devotional poetry – 61 of which eventually came to be included in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib.
A gurudwara named after Namdev stands testimony to the fact that the social-reformer poet-saint made Ghuman his karma bhoomi. Since he connected Marathi with Punjabi, hosting the festival at Ghuman and bringing the people and languages of the two states closer was thus a step in the right direction. Celebrating the connections between these two languages is also a way to pay tribute to the saint tradition which is progressive and liberal. Incidentally, Sadanand More, the president of the sammelan, who happens be a descendent of Saint Tukaram, is also an authority on saint literature.
Sanjay Nahar and his organisation Sarhad, which has been working in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir for many years, had earlier proposed Ghuman as a venue for the sammelan and it was approved only after due consultation and a field visit. From the beginning, however, it was clear that the 88th edition of the sammelan would have fewer delegates than in previous years. It is not easy for Maharashtra residents to travel to such a distant place. Publishers were also not too happy as they were aware that given the thin attendance, their books would not have as big sales as in previous years.
Despite these reservations, however, my impression is that some 8,000 book lovers, readers, writers and others made it to Ghuman.
Social reality
Literature needs to focus on the issues affecting common people. Writers are expected to highlight the socio-economic-political reality. Here too the festival served its purpose well.
In a generous gesture, the families of Shahid Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were invited. Rajguru was from Maharashtra and it highlighted the between the two languages and people of the two states.
Salima Hashmi, daughter of late Faiz Ahmed Faiz, came from Lahore. Faiz, one of the greatest Urdu poets after Mohammad Iqbal, always stood for democracy and progressive ideas. He also paid the price for it as Pakistani rulers imprisoned him a couple of times. Before Partition, he taught in a college in Amritsar and remains immensely popular on both sides of the border. Hashmi, in her speech, emphasised on creating an enduring peace between both the countries, sending a strong, positive message.
Many participants from Maharashtra stayed at Qadian, a small village in Gurdaspur district, not far from Ghuman. This is where the Muslim sect Ahmadiyya was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, considered the long awaited messiah by his followers, and a heretic by many mainstream Muslims. Ahmadiyyas are also known as Qadiani, and while most of the community left for Pakistan after Partition, where it was declared non-Muslim during the premiership of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Today around one lakh Qadianis lives in India and around a million in Pakistan, where they continue to face persecution. By staying with them, the sammelan organisers made a welcome exression of solidarity with the community.
Direct benefits
The residents of Ghuman definitely benefitted from the mega event. too Prakash Singh Badal, the chief minister of Punjab, announced developmental projects for Ghuman. The foundation stone for a much-needed degree college, to be named after Namdev, was laid by Nitin Gadkari, the union minister for transport and highways. Badal also announced the establishment of a nursing institute. These are positive developments for the people of Ghuman as local children will not have to go to colleges in Batala, Gurdaspur or Amritsar after their schooling.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devndra Fadanvis invited Punjabi writers to hold a similar event in Maharashtra. The state will be more than happy to help Punjabi writers in organising a big event, similar to the Marathi literary festival in Ghuman, he said. Many Punjabi writers too shared dias with Marathi writers.
But when any such event is organised, there are bound to be some irritants and we need to move towards removing them. The huge presence of police and other security personnel raised some eyebrows. The presence of politicians in big numbers was also a matter of concern. Literature need to be liberated from politicians and security forces.
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A gurudwara named after Namdev stands testimony to the fact that the social-reformer poet-saint made Ghuman his karma bhoomi. Since he connected Marathi with Punjabi, hosting the festival at Ghuman and bringing the people and languages of the two states closer was thus a step in the right direction. Celebrating the connections between these two languages is also a way to pay tribute to the saint tradition which is progressive and liberal. Incidentally, Sadanand More, the president of the sammelan, who happens be a descendent of Saint Tukaram, is also an authority on saint literature.
Sanjay Nahar and his organisation Sarhad, which has been working in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir for many years, had earlier proposed Ghuman as a venue for the sammelan and it was approved only after due consultation and a field visit. From the beginning, however, it was clear that the 88th edition of the sammelan would have fewer delegates than in previous years. It is not easy for Maharashtra residents to travel to such a distant place. Publishers were also not too happy as they were aware that given the thin attendance, their books would not have as big sales as in previous years.
Despite these reservations, however, my impression is that some 8,000 book lovers, readers, writers and others made it to Ghuman.
Social reality
Literature needs to focus on the issues affecting common people. Writers are expected to highlight the socio-economic-political reality. Here too the festival served its purpose well.
In a generous gesture, the families of Shahid Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were invited. Rajguru was from Maharashtra and it highlighted the between the two languages and people of the two states.
Salima Hashmi, daughter of late Faiz Ahmed Faiz, came from Lahore. Faiz, one of the greatest Urdu poets after Mohammad Iqbal, always stood for democracy and progressive ideas. He also paid the price for it as Pakistani rulers imprisoned him a couple of times. Before Partition, he taught in a college in Amritsar and remains immensely popular on both sides of the border. Hashmi, in her speech, emphasised on creating an enduring peace between both the countries, sending a strong, positive message.
Many participants from Maharashtra stayed at Qadian, a small village in Gurdaspur district, not far from Ghuman. This is where the Muslim sect Ahmadiyya was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, considered the long awaited messiah by his followers, and a heretic by many mainstream Muslims. Ahmadiyyas are also known as Qadiani, and while most of the community left for Pakistan after Partition, where it was declared non-Muslim during the premiership of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Today around one lakh Qadianis lives in India and around a million in Pakistan, where they continue to face persecution. By staying with them, the sammelan organisers made a welcome exression of solidarity with the community.
Direct benefits
The residents of Ghuman definitely benefitted from the mega event. too Prakash Singh Badal, the chief minister of Punjab, announced developmental projects for Ghuman. The foundation stone for a much-needed degree college, to be named after Namdev, was laid by Nitin Gadkari, the union minister for transport and highways. Badal also announced the establishment of a nursing institute. These are positive developments for the people of Ghuman as local children will not have to go to colleges in Batala, Gurdaspur or Amritsar after their schooling.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devndra Fadanvis invited Punjabi writers to hold a similar event in Maharashtra. The state will be more than happy to help Punjabi writers in organising a big event, similar to the Marathi literary festival in Ghuman, he said. Many Punjabi writers too shared dias with Marathi writers.
But when any such event is organised, there are bound to be some irritants and we need to move towards removing them. The huge presence of police and other security personnel raised some eyebrows. The presence of politicians in big numbers was also a matter of concern. Literature need to be liberated from politicians and security forces.
