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Kanpur, 17 October 2023: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s (IITK) Akshar 2023 – An IIT Kanpur Literary Festival celebrated the Birth Centenary Festival of Smt. Gaura Pant 'Shivani' who was undoubtedly one of the greatest female writers in Hindi on 17 October 2023. The event was graced by the presence of Shri. Muktesh Pant, IIT Kanpur alumnus and son of the great author, and his wife Smt.Vinita Pant; Smt. Ira Pandey, daughter of Shivani, her husband Shri Amitabha Pandey and son Aditya Pandey. Several batchmates of Shri Muktesh Pant and former distinguished alumni of IIT Kanpur, notably Shri Sudhakar Kesavan and family, Shri Anupam Khanna, Shri Varun Sinha, Rajesh Nandan Pandey and a few others also graced the occasion and shared their collective memories of Shivani. The event opened with a welcome note from the Officiating Director, Prof. S Ganesh who welcomed all on the momentous occasion and praised the efforts of the Shivani Centre and Rajbhasha Prakoshth in bringing forth the role of literature and Indian languages in our lives and the efforts in bringing together the role of technology in enriching the user’s interaction with Hindi and other Indian languages. Shri Muktesh Pant then addressed the gathering recollecting his memories about his mother, Shivani, his days in the IIT Kanpur campus and some of the collective memories of his colleagues with his mother Shivani. Later, Muktesh Pant was joined by Smt. Ira Pandey, his sister and Shri Pushpesh Pant, acclaimed food historian and critic. They discussed about the life and works of Shivani, under the program titled, ‘Humari Diddi’ as Shivani was fondly called by her family members. They recalled fascinating stories of Shivani’s life in Shanti Niketan under Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, and her growing prowess in writing due to her compassion and respect for everyone around her. They talked about Shivani as a very sharp observer of people around her and that her literature drew from the people’s lives around her like her story ‘Ek thi Ramratti’ which was based on her house help who is attached to the family. The next event was lecture on the life and works of Shivani by Dr. Vaibhav Singh, a renowned writer of Hindi, who came from Delhi for this event. Vaibhav pointed some of the most interesting facets of Shivani’s writings and dwelt in detail about the several factors that resonated with her readers. He mentioned the context and reception of several of her famous stories like Krishnakali, Chaudah Fere, Lal Haveli and so on. The lecture was followed by a small session led by Sudipti wherein the readers and fans of Shivani got together to share their experiences about reading Shivani’s countless stories and novels. They discussed the way in which Shivani touched their lives and provided them a sense of direction and motivation in their lives. It was followed by a mesmerizing theatrical performance of acclaimed poet Suryakanth Tripathi ‘Nirala’’s long poem “Ram ki Shakti Pooja” enacted by Vyomesh Shukl’s Roopvani Theatre Group from Varanasi. Vyomesh a renowned poet himself orchestrated the performance and left the audience spellbound. This was the 92nd presentation of the Roopvani Group’s “Ram Ki Shakti Pooja’ which has been presented around the country. The second last performance of the day was “Sharad Ritu par Rabindra Sangeet ka Ek Guldasta” by Bodhi Group from IIT Kanpur. This band is composed of several faculty members and staff from the institute, some of whose names are Mahua Banerjee, Soumyen Guha, Chitralekha Bhattacharya, Sarani Saha, Saheli Datta, Sharmishtha Mitra, Maitreyi Chatterjee, Ananyd Das and accompanied by Violinist Devanand Pathak and Shri Harish Jha on Tabla. The finale of the event was the Kavi Sammelan and Mushaira which was graced by some of the best poets and shayars of the country in Farhat Ehsaas, Shariq Kaifi, Bhavna Tiwari, Pankaj Chaturvedi, Vyomesh Shukla, Soumya Malvia, Avinash Mishra & Amritanshu Sharma. The poets mesmerized the audience with their souldful poems and ghazals and left them spell bound to the extent that they did not want to leave their seats even for a minute. A note of thanks was delivered by Dr. Ark Verma who thanked the guests and audience for their continued presence and endorsement of the efforts of Shivani Centre and the Rajbhasha Prakoshth, the APPROACH CELL and Gaatha, and SIIC IIT Kanpur incubated company in coming together and making the event a grand success. He also requested the audience to continue supporting these efforts and join back again for the next iteration of Akshar in 2024. The Mega Book Fair organized by Akshar -2023 also came to a close and was thronged by hundreds of visitors who purchased a large number of books in an effort to bring literature and culture back to their lives. About IIT Kanpur: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with more than 550 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government. For more information, visit www.iitk.ac.in. Second Day of IIT Kanpur’s Akshar marked with brilliant performances, live recitals, discussions on publishing, cinema, and poetry
Kanpur, 16 October 2023: After mesmerizing presentations in Bharatnatyam, classical music, and engaging open-mic performances, the second day of Akshar touched new heights and explored literature, culture, traditions, and cinema. The day opened with a Kathak performance curated by the Zeeshan Ali Group and presented by performers from IIT Kanpur campus. It was followed by a mesmerizing life-like recital of Shivani’s stories by Bollywood Actress Nayani Dixit of “Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana” fame. The audience were moved and were left in awe of Nayani’s brilliant play-acting of Shivani’s stories and left craving for more as she left the stage. A lively discussion took place on the topic "Aaj ke Takneeki Daur Mein Lekhan Evam Prakashan" with participation from leading publishers like Shri Alind Maheshwari from Rajkamal Prakashan Ltd., Anurag Vats from Rukh Prakashan, Bal Krishna Birla (an IIT Kanpur alumnus and technocrat), and acclaimed writer and critic Anand Kakkad. The main topic of discussion revolved around the challenges and opportunities in today’s writing and publishing, considering the exposure to social media and technological advances like AI and Chat GPT etc. The discussion was followed by a divine rendition of Kabir Ke Bhajans by Naman Singh, Prakhar Pandey, Dr. Devanand Pathak and Shri Harish Jha. The audience enjoyed the devotional music and the beautiful performance of the artists. A discussion on the depiction of women in Indian cinema followed, led by noted Bollywood producer and director Shri R Balki, noted film critic and analyst Shri Komal Nahata, and Ms. Surabhi Modi, a literature enthusiast and CEO of Possible Education. The discussion delved into the changing portrayal of female characters in Indian cinema over the years and acknowledged that although roles have evolved, there is still work to be done to break free from the stereotypes attached to female roles in our families and society. The day concluded with a thought-provoking conversation featuring noted poet and author Shri Ashok Chakradhar and noted poet Smt. Bhavna Tiwari, revolving around the life and works of Shri Ashok and the role of literature in society and our individual lives. About IIT Kanpur: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with a large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with more than 550 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government. Day 1 of Akshar 2023 Literature Festival of IIT Kanpur: A Spectacular Kickoff to Literary Delights Kanpur, 15 October 2023: "Akshar – An IIT Kanpur Literature Festival" jointly organised by Shivani Centre for the Nurture and Re-Integration of Hindi and Other Indian Languages, Rajbhasha Prakoshth, Appreciation and Promotion of Art, Culture and Heritage (APPROACH) Cell, Hindi Sahitya Sabha, and Gaatha - a SIIC IIT Kanpur incubated company, was inaugurated yesterday at 2:30 PM by Prof. Kantesh Balani, Prof. S Ganesh, Prof. Brij Bhushan, and Prof. Sameer Khandekar in the Outreach auditorium at IIT Kanpur. In its second iteration, this 3-day festival commemorates the centennial year celebrations of the life and works of renowned Hindi novelist of the 20th century (late) Smt. Gaura Pant, well known by her pen name 'Shivani'. The chief guests of the event were Prof. Ganesh and Prof. Bhushan from IIT Kanpur. After the opening ceremony, “Introduction to Shivani” was addressed by Mr. Govind Sharma from Shivani Centre. Mr. Sharma introduced the audience of the life & works of Shivani ji, including her famous stories like KrishnaKali, Chaudah Fere, Aparajit etc. Mr. Sharma informed that Shivani ji was one of the foremost writers in Hindi literature, whose writings presented a distinct voice of strong women characters who fight for their own emancipation and that of their loved ones, and at the same time are deeply sensitive and compassionate to those around them. Besides, there was a story recital of Shivani ji’s most famous stories in “Shivani ki Kahaniyan -Ek Recital” by the artists such as Ms. Nutan Vashishtha and Ms. Anupama, known as Katharang: A Storytelling Group. The group completely enthralled the audience with their lively recital and brought to life some of the lovely stories of Shivani ji. Later, a panel discussion on “Shivani ke Sahitya mein Stree Vimarsh” was organised, in which several literary figures such as Prof. Chandrakala Tripathi from BHU, Prof. Shashikala Rai from Pune University, and Ms. Anushakti Singh participated. The panelists discussed in detail the depiction of strong, & independent women characters in Shivani ji’s writings. An open mic event, "Aaj ke Ubharte Kalakaar," was held in which the Kavi Sammelan was organised for the IIT campus residents and students. The event featured several students, employees, and faculty members of IIT Kanpur and even outside and offered a platform for all the aspiring artists among the campus residents to showcase their talents. Later, the open mic session “Bachchon ka kona” was organised for talented kids on campus. Several children of varying ages participated in the event. The occasion provided an opportunity for children to showcase their talents publicly, which will encourage and motivate them to continue developing their skills. The show was greatly appreciated by the audience. “Nritya Sandhya-A Bharatnatyam Performance” was then showcased by Kumari Sharvari G. Rao and Smt. Nagarekha G. Rao. The performance given by the artists was greatly appreciated by the audience. The final program of the evening was ‘Sur Sarita – An Evening of Classical Vocal Music’ by Bhagyashree Deshpande and her Suranjali Group. Ms. Deshpande and the accompanying artists mesmerized the audience with her soulful voice and renditions of Hindustani Ragas and Ghazals. Notably, the Akshar 2023 is also hosting a Mega Book - Fair was also organized coordinated by leading publishers of the country, at the Outreach Auditorium Lawns of IIT Kanpur. The book fair is hosting some of the major book publishers of the country who have brough books of many different languages. The book fair also hosts a special section on Childrens’ Books wherein Amar Chithra Katha & Rajkamal Prakashan etc. have brought a sizeable contingent on Childrens’ Books. About IIT Kanpur: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur was established on 2nd November 1959 by an Act of Parliament. The institute has a sprawling campus spread over 1055 acres with a large pool of academic and research resources spanning across 19 departments, 22 centres, and 3 Interdisciplinary programs in engineering, science, design, humanities, and management disciplines with more than 550 full-time faculty members and approximately 9000 students. In addition to formal undergraduate and postgraduate courses, the institute has been active in research and development in areas of value to both industry and government. |
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