Sunday, Sep 22, 2024 09:45 [IST]
Last Update: Sunday, Sep 22, 2024 04:06 [IST]
GANGTOK,: Chief Minister P.S. Golay today announced that September 30 and October 1 will be celebrated as ‘International Literature Mahotsav’ in Sikkim. The two-day event will celebrate literature and poetry with a focus on promoting Sikkimese literature at an international level.
The announcement was made during the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Kavi Sammelan’ organised by Dainik Jagran at Manan Kendra here. The event featured 12 poets from India and Nepal, including notable names in Nepali and Hindi poetry.
The Chief Minister welcomed the poets to Sikkim and thanked them for being part of the first national-level Kavi Sammelan held in Sikkim. He also thanked Poet Idol winners from Sikkim, Neelam Gurung and Simeyon Sukita Rai, for putting Sikkim on the international poetry map and inspiring the youth towards poetry.
“Literature plays an important role in shaping the society and life of people. Poetry is not based on imagination but is sometimes based on life-lessons. Earlier, people thought poetry was boring and hardly attended poetry events, but today I am happy to see so many people gather at Manan Kendra today, to witness the first National-level Kavi Sammelan held in Sikkim. This is the first time that the Kavi Sammelan is being held in Nepali and Hindi languages, with renowned poets from India and Nepal,” said CM.
In his address, the Chief Minister said that State government wants to make Sikkim a literature hub and promote literary tourism. “Since SKM government came to power in 2019, the State government has been focusing on literary tourism. The 'Pari Prakashan' was established to serve literature. We have felicitated 340 plus Sikkimese litterateurs and more than 21 literary books have been published. This shows how dedicated the SKM government is in uplifting literature in Sikkim. I consider Akhil Bharatiya Kavi Sammelan, a part of literature development of Sikkim, as it is part of Viksit samaj. Bringing poets from India and Nepal to one stage not only helps in uplifting literature, but also exchange of culture.”
Golay further announced that Kalakaar Bharosa Sammelan, launched last year to support artists from different forms of art and literature, will now be a calendar event.
Golay applauded the efforts of Dainik Jagran for promoting literature by organizing such events in different States in India.
