World Peace - Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Australia-India Literatures
International Forum
The Australia-India Literatures International Forum
(AILIF), an initiative to foster literary ties between
India and Australia in an area that has not received adequate
attention in either of their creative-cultural
imaginaries, in its efforts to further its aim has
brought together writers from the regional languages
of India with Australian Indigenous and Indo-Australian
writers. To generate interest in their respective
traditions and enable close interaction and collaboration
between them, Writing and Society Research Centre,
School of Humanities and Communication Arts,
University of Western Sydney invites people to AILIF
program.
University of Western Sydney in its official program for
starting the event welcomed Indian and Australian
writers and academics in the presence of Arun K Goel,
Consul General of India in Sydney and Indian community
representatives at its Parramatta (South) Campus
on 3 September 2012. In the Indian community representatives
Gambhir Watts, President Bharatiya Vidya
Bhavan Australia graced the event with his presence.
Girish Karnad, famous contemporary writer, playwright,
screenwriter, actor, movie director and winner
of Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred
in India represented Indian writers while
Nicholas Jose, Alexis Wright, Ivor Indyk and Vijay
Mishra were among Australian writers and academics.
The AILIF program on 4-6 September 2012 at State Library
of New South Wales is sure to help regional writers
of India along with indigenous and multicultural
writers of Australia to explore how linguistic diversity,
vernacular cosmopolitanism, critical localism, and
global regimes of translation and reception effect literature
and its dissemination. The Australia-India Literatures
International Forum brings together acclaimed
writers and publishers hoping to be one of the largest
India-Australia literary exchanges to be held between
the two countries.
Indian Participants
Girish Karnad: winner of the Padma
Bhushan and the Padma Shree, the National
Awards of India, pioneered the
exploration of Indian myths, folklore
and history on modern Indian stage
and reintroduced traditional techniques
such as music, dance and mime.
His plays, Yayati, Tughlaq, Hayavadana,
Agni Mattu Male, Taledanda and Nagamandala revolutionised
Indian theatre.
14 | Bhavan Australia | August 2012
Mahmood Farooqui: a writer, artist and director is the
author of Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857.
CS Lakshmi: a Tamil feminist writer is
an independent researcher in women’s
studies and founded SPARROW: Sound
and Picture Archives for Research on
Women, a non-governmental organization
in 1988.
Gogu Shyamala: a Dalit feminist and Telangana activist,
writes in Telugu about life in rural Andhra
Pradesh.
Khynpam Sing Nongkynrih: writes poems and short
fiction in Khasi and English.
Mamang Dai: recipient of the Padma
Shree, the fourth highest civilian
award of India in 2011 has written
short stories, prose and poems on the
culture and history of Arunachal
Pradesh.
Mita Kapur: author of The F-Word is the founder-CEO
of Siyahi, India’s leading literary consultancy and curates
Bookaroo and Mountain Echoes Literature Festival
in Bhutan annually.
NS Madhavan: a leading writer of contemporary
Malayalam literature has produced numerous short
stories, novels, essays, plays and football columns.
His latest novel, Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal
(Litanies of Dutch Battery 2003) was awarded the
Hindu Literary Prize in 2011.
Prabodh Parikh: a poet, short fiction writer, visual
artist, has published his book of poems, Kaunsman,
(Between Parentheses/In Brackets).
R Sivapriya: is Managing Editor, Classics and Translations,
with Penguin Books India.
Uday Prakash: one of contemporary
Hindi literature’s most original and audacious
voices is an eminent scholar, poet,
essayist, journalist, translator and short
story writer. He is the recipient of the
2010 Sahitya Akademi Award and 2009
SAARC Literary Award.
Sharankumar Limbale: is a Marathi Dalit activist,
writer, editor and critic.