.
THANK YOU
.
WRITING THE CITY
TRANSFORMING THE CITY
Dear Friend,
CITY STORIES .
KATHA ASIA INTERNATIONAL UTSAV came
to a happy and celebratory end at the Indian Habitat
Centre. A 22-venue event, it was spread across
the city, including at the Alliance Française, the
National Gallery of Modern Art, and colleges.
It was an amazingly successful 6 days
when:
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3000 schoolchildren
and parents met
to celebrate and learn more about Asia in
AMAZING ASIA THE CHILDREN'S WINTER CARNIVAL.
-
1000 women
from 33 slum communities across
Delhi [that Katha works with] met with the Hon'ble
Chief Minister of Delhi, Srimati Sheila
Dikshit, in a fruitful three hours of discussion
on their futures and that of the government and
the city of Delhi.
-
300 college students
sat with thought
leaders and discussed many issues pertaining to
WRITING THE CITY . TRANSFORMING THE CITY.
Over 200 sessions
and at leisurely lunches, teas and special dinners.
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60 academics
came together in
a conference and then went on to participate and
create the rich cafe atmosphere of the Utsav over
the next five days. They also met with Katha's
executive director, Geeta Dharmarajan
and honorary director of the Katha-SNDT University
[Mumbai], Dr. Mitra Mukherjee Parikh,
Academic
Centre. To discuss the setting up of 10
translation centres across India.
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More than 70 educationists,
nearly 20 from
across the country, discussed schools and
curricula and how
schools can contribute to the cities they
inhabit.
-
120 writers, scholars,
translators, critics and social activists
and entrepreneurs,
of which 32 were from countries
other than India delivered
keynotes and presided over discussion spaces,
lending of their rich experience, their expertise,
their perceptive view of the world. This included
Ashis Nandy, Ashok Vajpeyi,
Ayu Utami, Charles Landry, Jaya Arunachalam, Hassan
Daoud, Lee Ho-Chul, Ma Yuan, Mona Baker, Navid
Kermani, Ramachandra Gandhi,
Xu Xi
and other truly gifted thinkers, inspiring speakers.
-
2000 film
buffs.
and more were attracted to
City! The Katha Asia Film
and Documentary Festival, curated by
Prabodh
Parikh.
This was held simultaneously at the
Alliance Française
and at the India
Habitat Centre.
Speakers included critical commentators from the
region the film came from; as also the all time
great film director SHYAM
BENEGAL to the
people's poet, lyricist JAVED
AKHTAR. The very
special attraction was the FILM WORKSHOP
ON SCRIPTING THE CITY
that was conducted by Atul Tiwari
and his colleague.
-
We were honoured to have with us many
fine artists, dancers, musicians, painters, theatre
people, film makers and others,
and . Right from the famous WADALI
BROTHERS and their divine Sufi music, to classical
dance recitals from RAMA VAIDYANATHAN &
YAMINI REDDY; from the puppet show by the
well-known DADI PUDUMJEE to the modern
dance interpretation by NAVTEJ JOHAR to
the enchanting evening of poetry with JAVED
AKHTAR. And the special FOLK DANCE
programme specially choreographed and lovingly
presented by the Sangeet Natak Akademi,
India's premier performing arts organization,
was a rave show from beginning to end. And these
cultural programmes attracted many dance and music
lovers from the city besides the delegates named
above.
-
City Stories: The Perceived
Experience. The Katha Asia Art Exhibition,
curated by
Prof Rajeev
Lochan,
director of the National Gallery of Modern
Art attracted many of the art buffs in the
city. Housed at the NGMA and a rare exhibition
of artworks from the collection of the NGMA,
we thank the director for making the show possible
and such a treat for the eyes.
-
6500 and more people - from preschoolers
to grandparents, from school teachers to academics,
from writers to translators to activists ... they
were all with us, helping make the KATHA ASIA
UTSAV what it was -- a great place to be in!
The Katha Asia Utsav was a warm and
friendly place, challenging and thought provoking.
We thank our
sponsors and
partners with all our heart for
making the utsav possible.
And I most sincerely thank the inspiring
team leaders
at Katha and
their teams for working so tirelessly
for the utsav that made it the success it was.
And last [if not the first] ...
If YOU were
with us at the CITY STORIES . KATHA ASIA INTERNATIONAL
UTSAV, we thank you for making it such fun, so inviting
and inspiring!
We
look forward to meeting you all again soon!
Warmly,
Geeta
Dharmarajan
executive director, katha
.
T H E P R O G R A M M E .
. CITY STORIES
.
WRITING THE CITY
TRANSFORMING THE CITY
the international story festival and conference .
200 events . across multiple venues
January 6 - 11 . 2006
WE
WELCOME YOU TO DELHI'S MOST HAPPENING PLACE, THIS
JANUARY 2006!
Featuring 100 writers . community
activists . special entrepreneurs . academics &
scholars from 22 countries including India
The first Asian F estival
that tackles the major questions that face Asia after
Jawaharlal Nehru's momentous Asian Relations
Conference of 1947!
An exciting journey of discovery and celebration
awaits writers, teachers, literary translators, school
and college teachers and students at Katha Asia!
We take great pleasure in announcing
the Katha Asia Utsav,
to be held from 6-11 January 2006. in Delhi. At
the India Habitat Centre, the cultural hub of Delhi.
In March 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru convened the Asian
Relations Conference, which was attended by 21 countries.
Held in Delhi, the conference heralded the beginnings
of Asian independence and assertion on the world stage;
an Asia coming together. Literary translation between
Asian countries was one of the major ideas mooted at
the Conference - and till today left undone.
Today, 58 years later, profound changes have happened
in many of the Asian countries, but many of our concerns
remain common. Katha Asia questions,
reiterates and celebrates literary and community activism
of myriad peoples and places in Asia.
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FOR GENEROUS SUPPORT |
Language, Culture and Translation, and reaching out
across Asia through literary non-divisive practices
will be some of the serious issues under discussion.
As important will be issues that concern the city's
common sphere - from urban renaissance to poverty
alleviation, from youth interests to the future of nations,
from peace and development in Asia to economic resurgence
that creates a level playing field.
Best practices will be showcased. Visionary writers
heard. Minds set aflame!
These will be the underlying wefts and woofs of the
five days when we forge partnerships, read identities
and bring about ways to celebrate and foster our many
diversities. Thought leaders, academics and scholars,
school and college students will debate and dialogue
through six action-packed days.
The activities at Katha Asia are multicultural, fun,
and open to all from across Asia. They focus on cities,
cultures, community concerns, held together by story
and storytelling from practitioners - be they writers
or oral storytellers, translators or academics, school
or college students, visual, plastic and performing
artists.
WHY A CITY FOCUS? Most parts of Asia
are seeing a rapid urbanization for which we seem ill-equipped.
Writers have always been the people who have been able
to look ahead and we see their role in wordsmithing
the city so that town planners can see it afresh.
The city is where most colleges are situated today.
Yet the synergy between city . college . community is
an invisible component of most teaching institutions
today. Can we change this?
WHY KATHA? From 1988, Katha has been
working in the literacy to literature continuum, our
work being equally relevant and quality conscious in
the education of working children and poorer communities,
as it has been in areas that focus on languages, cultures
and translations. Katha Asia brings an exciting fusion
of the mission goals that drive this continuum.
For registration forms and more information
to -
the Katha
City Stories Secretariat . katha@katha.org
or write to us to
katha . a-3 sarvodaya enclave . sri aurobindo marg .
delhi110017 . India
tel: 91-11-2652.4350, 2652.4511, 2652.1752,
5182.9998; Fax: 2651.4373
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