NEW DELHI, October 9 – Eminent poets and writers from across the South Asian region have converged in New Delhi to promote tolerance and foster a regional cultural connectivity for “peace and tranquility”.
With a call to promote cross-cultural understanding and friendship in the region, Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh opened the meeting – the 14th SAARC Writers’ Conference – here Sunday.
Eminent writers Sheeba Shah, Ram Dayal Rakesh, Abhi Subedi, Tejeswor Babu Gonga, Benju Sharma and Dambar Bir Thapa are participating from Nepal.
Other noted personalities include former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdulla, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche; and eminent Pakistani littérateurs Intizar Hussain, Hamid Mir, Nisar Ahamed Choudhary. Others noted writers are Geetha D’Silva and Seneviratne from Sri Lanka; Tshewang Gyalpo from Bhutan, Ali Shareef from the Maldives; eminent poet Masood Khalili from Afghanistan; and writers Gulzar, Kapila Vatsayayan, Lalit Man Singh and others.
The conference also aims to provide specific recommendations for cultural exchanges among the seven SAARC countries, ahead of the forthcoming SAARC Summit, scheduled to be held in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, in the second week of November.
It will also come up with ideas and recommendations to cultural connectivity to promote peace and tranquility in the region. Eminent Indian writer Ajeet Cour is heading the movement for Cultural Connectivity, which has brought the SAARC writers together.
The event’s organizer, the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature, has been pressing for “no boundaries” and envisions a South Asian cultural identity, as well as understanding, tolerance and respect for cultural diversity.
