By NNN-PTI,
Agra (India) : Renowned authors, academicians and peace activists from India and Pakistan besides other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries will share their ideas on “difficult times” facing the region, particularly in the backdrop of the Mumbai attack, during a literary festival beginning here Friday.
The 29th SAARC Festival of Literature will cover a wide range of themes — from role of wordsmiths in times of terror to its impact on popular culture, prevailing conditions of chaos and confusion and ways and means to overcome it.
The Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature is organising the four-day event when expectations from creative fraternity and right-minded peace activists have soared high in the aftermath of unprecedented terrorists attack on Mumbai.
“Writers will deliberate over trauma of terrorism at multi-dimensional levels, and its impact on creative ideas and on society,” said Ajeet Cour, an organiser of the festival.
She said the role of writer in these times of terror, ethnic conflicts and fundamentalism has got to be more “eloquent and assertive.”
“Meeting of minds in these difficult times will give fresh impetus to the process of peace and confidence building measures, which vested interests want to derail,” she added.
Cour, herself a writer, said the literary meet will facilitate candid flow of debate and divergence among the authors.