GLOBAL HINDI
Oscar Pujol and Adam Burakowski in conversation with Abhay K
Session Notes: Hindi, spoken in several countries in the world today, has acquired diverse repertoires deriving from cultural and linguistic interactions with the ambient Burakowski, Ambassador of Poland to India, bring glimpses of the popularity of Hindi in Europe, they were in conversation with Abhay K. The session explored how a large diaspora has made possible the simultaneous growth of Hindi as a spoken, written and translated language, rich in the production of literature, music and cinema in particular.
Burakowski shared his experience of the last twenty-five years in India. Bharat allured him and drove him to learn Hindi and specialized in India as a political scientist. He also gave insights on the increasing population of Indians in Poland leading to the easy access to learning Hindi.
Pujol, a Sanskrit Scholar, imparted his first encounter with Hindi after coming to India and how the difference between the two languages surprised him and took him two years to learn it. He affirmed that Hindi is on the verge of becoming a global language because of its growing popularity in the western part of the world. He also urged the audience to give Hindi its due importance.
Furthermore Burakowski added the quintessence to learn a language to understand the mindset and culture of a country. Additionally, Pujol explained external and internal essentials to make Hindi global. Hindi has the potential to go global as India is expanding in all the spheres
worldwide.
The Books and Beliefs
Sudha Murty in conversation with Mandira Nayar
The conversation started with Mandira Nayar asking Sudha Murty about how writing has changed her. Murty told everyone that her first book got published when she was 29 in Kannada. She further emphasised on the importance of her mother tongue and the culture of the land. She started writing in English at the age of 52.
While talking about the importance of being real and holding your own perspective and ideas, Murty said, “I connect to the people because I tell the truth. I don’t act. What you see, you only get that much. Nothing extra… What I say, I walk.” She said, “Normally, if you’re truthful when you write, then you can establish a relationship. That’s what I believe.” She called herself India’s National Nani (grandmother). Murty then talked about her dog,_ Gopi_. While sharing some stories about Gopi, she said he is much better than humans and he is extremely loyal and loving. She also talked about the importance of daughters. She shed some light on her relationship with her daughter and how she taught Murty at the age of 45 by just being a 15 years old girl. She said “My daughter is my guru… I was sleeping. She woke me up. She said Amma, what’s your duty? And that duty has given me tremendous fulfilment in life, not by Infosys shares, not by any awards, not by any rewards, not by any padmashrees, these rewards or these joy I get from helping poor people, has given me tremendous satisfaction. I can meet God and tell I did not waste my life.” While talking about taking engineering as a career, she said that her grandmother used to worry that no one would marry Sudha. She continued by saying, “She did not know that across the river, there existed Narayana Murthy.” She said, “Knowledge is not somebody’s domain. It is not a boy’s domain or a girl’s domain. It is a domain of people who perceive… and study with great honesty.” She shared her experience when she went to college and everyone considered her as a new animal in the zoo and no one would talk to her. She said, “Who is your best friend? You yourself. Who is your worst enemy? You yourself.” She said, “I’m so much autonomous inside, I don’t depend on anyone. I depend only on myself.” Murty further talked about selflessness and giving and shared stories from her past. She said, “If you don’t believe, don’t give. The more you give, the more happy you are. And that’s what I learnt in my life. The more I have given, the more happy I am.” The session ended with Murty talking about her husband and son-in-law.
Sustaining Democracy; Nurturing Democracy
Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Tripurdaman Singh
In conversation with Tripurdaman Singh, Shashi Tharoor discussed the crisis of democracy that has unfolded in India and abroad. He discussed the role of public protest in contemporary issues of climate change, but said that these protests can only keep the government accountable, and cannot by themselves, institute such change. After all, it is the impetus of the state with its policies to take an action. Despite this, he said that voluntary civic associations have a very important role in strengthening democracy. He also discussed the contributions of BR Ambedkar, who he said was a firm proponent of the courts and state in bringing about positive change against the unequal caste society of India.
The Nature of Fear
Ravish Kumar in conversation with Satyanand Nirupam and Ravi Singh
Acclaimed journalist Ravish Kumar engaged in a riveting discussion about ‘fear’ and its role in politics today. He began by discussing the fears he has had as an individual, and then related these to the fear that has been instituted by the state. He spoke at length about political prisoners, the rich and judges–and how all of them are afraid of the government today. In that sense, the undergirding theme of the talk was the all-encompassing nature of fear. He emphasised the need for small fights today, like the refusal to watch news channels which spew hatred or misinformation. Finally, speaking of his own experiences, he mentioned how writing and speaking has been a way for him to fight his own fears.
The Books and Beliefs
Sudha Murty in conversation with Mandira Nayar
The conversation started with Mandira Nayar asking Sudha Murty about how writing has changed her. Murty told everyone that her first book got published when she was 29 in Kannada. She further emphasised on the importance of her mother tongue and the culture of the land. She started writing in English at the age of 52.
While talking about the importance of being real and holding your own perspective and ideas, Murty said, “I connect to the people because I tell the truth. I don’t act. What you see, you only get that much. Nothing extra… What I say, I walk.” She said, “Normally, if you’re truthful when you write, then you can establish a relationship. That’s what I believe.” She called herself India’s National Nani (grandmother). Murty then talked about her dog,_ Gopi_. While sharing some stories about Gopi, she said he is much better than humans and he is extremely loyal and loving. She also talked about the importance of daughters. She shed some light on her relationship with her daughter and how she taught Murty at the age of 45 by just being a 15 years old girl. She said “My daughter is my guru… I was sleeping. She woke me up. She said Amma, what’s your duty? And that duty has given me tremendous fulfilment in life, not by Infosys shares, not by any awards, not by any rewards, not by any padmashrees, these rewards or these joy I get from helping poor people, has given me tremendous satisfaction. I can meet God and tell I did not waste my life.” While talking about taking engineering as a career, she said that her grandmother used to worry that no one would marry Sudha. She continued by saying, “She did not know that across the river, there existed Narayana Murthy.” She said, “Knowledge is not somebody’s domain. It is not a boy’s domain or a girl’s domain. It is a domain of people who perceive… and study with great honesty.” She shared her experience when she went to college and everyone considered her as a new animal in the zoo and no one would talk to her. She said, “Who is your best friend? You yourself. Who is your worst enemy? You yourself.” She said, “I’m so much autonomous inside, I don’t depend on anyone. I depend only on myself.” Murty further talked about selflessness and giving and shared stories from her past. She said, “If you don’t believe, don’t give. The more you give, the more happy you are. And that’s what I learnt in my life. The more I have given, the more happy I am.” The session ended with Murty talking about
her husband and son-in-law.
Daaera and Dhanak: Companion Volumes of Nazms by Kaifi Azmi and Jan Nisar Akhtar
Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi in conversation with Rakhshanda Jalil
The session began with the introduction to the respective books of Azmi and Akhtar and how the idea of the book came to be and the way it progressed further. They discussed the differences and similarities between both the poets, Jan Nisar Akhtar and Kaifi Azmi and their respective perspective on love and romance.
Akhtar spoke about the progressive writer’s movement and its origin from the All India Congress Conference which was presided by Munshi Premchand. Akhtar further talks about how the essence of a Gazal gets lost in translation. Azmi mentioned the presence of the element of love in correlation to women in Jan Nisar Akhtar’s poems. At the end of the session Akhtar and Azmi read their favourite quotes from their individual books, Daera and Dhanak respectively.
