There’s a bigger narrative behind every short story in our country: P Lalita Kumari

Speaking at the 36th anniversary of 'Katha', an initiative by the Sambad Group at Odia story-telling, Kumari spoke about how everyday anecdotes and short stories have formed an intrinsic part of not just prose but oral literary tradition as well

Bhubaneswar: “There’s a bigger narrative behind every short story in our country. Since childhood, we have experienced how short stories get woven into bigger tales and vice-versa. Vedic literature is testament to this where narration of the Puranas and epics like Mahabharat and Ramayana unravel many short stories as part of the larger account,” said renowned feminist writer P Lalita Kumari at Bhanja Kala Mandap in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

Speaking at the 36th anniversary of ‘Katha’, an initiative by the Sambad Group at Odia story-telling, Kumari spoke about how everyday anecdotes and short stories have formed an intrinsic part of not just prose but oral literary tradition as well. “Over the years, anecdotes, stories have taken shape and formed part of a larger literary heritage. It is not a one-day affair to understand and delve into the evolution of storytelling tradition and literature in India,” she added.

Popularly known by her pen name Volga, Kumari went on to elaborate on feminist literature, the constraints faced by the genre in a male-dominated field, the domestic and societal pressure women face in their writing careers and the dawn of fearless storytelling by female writers like Amrita Pritam, Qurratulain Hyder, Ismat Chughtai and Ashapoorna Devi who broke the first shackles of patriarchy through their works. She urged budding writes to read atleast 100 authors and 100 stories before attempting to write one.

Speaking at the event as chief guest, famed author Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee spoke about the relevance of Panchatantra, which is believed to be one of India’s most influential contributions to world literature. Praising the effort of Sambad Group in dedicating a magazine towards short stories, Bhattacharjee said this initiative will be significant in inspiring and encouraging young writers by giving storytelling a platform.

Stressing on the importance of storytelling in evolution of a civil society, Sambad Group’s founder-editor Soumya Ranjan Patnaik stated that the medium has the potency to develop clarity in expression of thoughts and expressions and would play a key role in bridging the gaps in today’s politics if people learn the art of voicing their ideas and views through stories. “The might of the pen in sustaining the democracy is immense. May the ink from pens of young writers never dry up,” he added.

Also present at the event were Executive Director of Sambad Group Tanaya Patnaik, writer Gourahari Das and co-editor of Katha Khetrabasi Nayak. As many as 11 new talents were felicitated on the occasion.

 

 

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