Literary festivals to promote reading among youth

By L.S. Ananda WEDAARACHCHI

The literary month begins in September each year. Literary festivals are organised Islandwide during the month under the patronage of the government, universities, book publishers, printers and non-government organisations. The Vidudaya Literary Festival, Sanhinda Pamula Kala Ullela, and Godage Literary Festival were launched in Colombo last week.

These festivals have gone beyond the traditional State Literary Festival organised by the Cultural Ministry in the previous years.

Vidudaya Sahitya Ullela presented a special award for a publication consisting of newspaper articles and columns.

Professor Wimal G. Balagalle, K.S. Sivakumaran and Jeen Arasanayagam who devoted their lives for the development of language and literature received lifetime awards at the Godage Literary festival.

Sanhinda Pamula Kala Ullela organised by the Aquinas University College conducted a drama, poetry and short stories contest and released two poetry books by Kapila Eranda and Rakitha Gunaratna. According to the Department of National Archives 8,637 books and magazines were launched last year. The State Literary Festival Jathika Kala Prasadini Ullela organised by the Ministry of Culture and Arts will be held from September 26-28 at the Pattalagedera Teachers' Training College Veyangoda. It will not be a forum for literature alone but dance, music, rituals and traditional art.

Prof. Sunil Ariyaratna

Buddhadasa Galappaththi

Sirisumana Godage

Sumithra Rahubaddha

The first two days of the Jathika Kala Prasadini Ullela music and dance competitions by local art schools and art centres will be held and the veteran local dancers and musicians will be felicitated.

The final day will be devoted to literary work. The authors of the best novel, short stories and poems published last year will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 and certificates. Well-known novelist Sumithra Rahubaddha said that the past literary festivals repeated the traditional festivals. It is time to explore a new system, she said.

Although state literary festivals had been organised for over 60 years, nothing substantial has been achieved. There is nothing innovative in these festivals and no significant progress have been achieved, she said. The literary month provides a boost to arts, she said. Sri Jayawardenapura University senior professor Sunil Ariyaratna who pioneered the Vidudaya Sahitha Ullela said that the literary festival is the forum to evaluate literary achievements. He said that the criteria of the Editor's Guild presenting awards to journalists after calling upon them to submit their claims for the awards was not correct. Instead there should be a mechanism to judge the daily performance of journalists, he said. India has implemented a systematic programme for the development of literature in every state. High quality literary creations are translated to English and made available to the international readership by Indian "Sahitya Academy", the central body for literary development funded by the Indian Central Government.

In Sri Lanka even ten percent of its classical literary productions have not reached the readership outside the country. We do not have a proper program to develop literature, he said.

The university scholars, teachers and undergraduates play a prominent role in the field of literary development while the skills and talents of the university undergraduates remain untapped or wasted due to their involvement in politics.

The Kavitha program which was launched last year will help undergraduates to excell in creative work, he said. Well-known poet Buddhadasa Galappaththi said that there is hardly any innovative or creativity in the State Literary Festival during the past couple of years.

The State Literary Festival presents an award of Rs. 50,000 to the best literary work one who sings someone else's song is awarded Rs. 1.7 million. The Suwarna Pusthaka award by the Book Publishers and Printers Association for the best novel of the year amounts to five hundred thousand where as the State award is Rs. 50,000.

Authorities should play a leading role in developing literary and cultural fields.

No serious discussions or seminars organised by the state sector for the literary development were held, he said. An independent body such as Indian Sahitya Acadamy is prerequisite for the development of literature in Sri Lanka.

A systematic program should be launched for indigenous literature beyond the national boundary and also to get down world literary genius to Sri Lanka, he said. Writers need incentives such as felicitating and awarding presents to foster literature, said Godage Book Emporium Chairman Siri Sumana Godage. Godage received the best award for printing and publishing books at State Literary Festival during the past 24 years. The Literary Day was first introduced by Cultural and Education Minister Jayaweera Kuruppu of the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike government of 1956. The best Sinhala novel of the year was selected for the award till the State Literary Award Scheme was expanded to include short stories and poems. The Godage Literary Festival which was launched 14 years ago revised the award scheme to Sinhala, Tamil and English creative writings.

The cash prize for the best creative writing novel has been increased from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 100,000 from this year, Gadage said.

The habit of reading among youth should be improved. The present day youth prefers to read love stories rather than works of such eminent writers such as Martin Wickramasingha or K. Jayatileka. Godage said local scholars should be encouraged to write books on science and other fields in Sinhala as there is a dearth of science writers in the country.

English books on science, maths and various other subjects are imported from India and other countries, he said. Jayasekera Management Centre Chairman and Managing Director

leading educationalist J.M.U.B. Jayasekera said that the main theme of the literature month should be to create a reading public. Most of the libraries are not patronised specially by the youth. The lack of interest in reading is detrimental to the society. Schools should organise competitions to reward students who read. Most of the musical contests endup in brawls and at time in killings as well.

The youth are not equipped with the facility to enjoy music or singing. Low quality tele dramas and novels corrupt young minds. Steps should be taken to promote reading among youth, he said.