Unmesha International Literary Festival, 2023

 On the last day of #Unmesha International Literary Festival 2023 I was asked to speak on 'Why I Write'. #Dr Chitta Ranjan Mishra was in Chair. Writers and scholars present in the session were luminaries in their own field. It was an honour to speak before them.

I mentioned about the the reply given to the same question by Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk and Albert Camu. But, I added that it's the inner urge of an individual which compels him/her to write or for that matter take recourse to express himself through other forms of creativity. It's the destiny, which created circumstances pushing me to write.

Secondly, a writer or any creative person wants to reach out to people and pines for their reaction and appreciation. But, sadly most of them die unheard, in abject poverty.

A writer is most often not worldly wise. I mentioned about Jibanananda Das, the harbinger of modern Bengali poetry and Manik Bandopadhyay, the most prominent fiction writer post independence. But, a true writer cannot survive without writing.

Another compelling reason for any writer is the hope to transcend the limitation of time. Even Rabindranath Thakur wished that his poems are read with interest after hundred years.

Finally, it's the people around a writer, the land in which he/she lived and the timespan of his life in this world crowd around him/her and urge the writer to bring them to life. A writer cannot escape from these visions till these are put in black and white.

It was an wonderful experience to hear appreciation from the chairman of the session, fellow participants and audience. Thanks #Sahitya Akademi.