PEN India An apolitical association of Indian writers Address: 160A,Bidhan Pally, Jorapark, PUC. Kolkata 84 Phone 9831445765, email: albertashok@yahoo.com

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. ।To promote intellectual co-operation and

understanding among writers;

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To create a world community of writers that would emphasize the central role of literature

in the development of world culture; and,

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। To defend literature against the many threats to its survival which the modern world poses.

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Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

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The first Publication of Indian Literature: Assamese Literature– By Birinchi Kumar Barua. Edited by Sophia Wadia for the P.E.N. All-India Centre. (Arya Sangha, Malabar Hill, Bombay. Pages 102. Price Rs. 1-8-0.) This is the first of a series of books planned by the P.E.N. All-India Centre on the main Indian languages, for, as the Editor truly says in her Introduction, "Many educated Indians are not familiar with the literary wealth of any Indian language other than their own. How many Bengalis know of the beauties of Malayalam literature? How many Tamilians are familiar with the literary efforts of old and modern Assam?...No systematic attempt has been made to popularise the story of the Indian literatures or to present gems from their masterpieces, to the general public in English translation" It is only too true that our English educated people interested in literary matters are more acquainted with French or Russian literature than even with the classics or the modern efforts of neighbouring Indian languages, not to speak of the literatures of comparatively remote areas like Assam. "Each book" in this series "is divided into three parts: (1) the history of the literature dealt with, (2) modern developments, and (3) an anthology." And since the volumes are published in alphabetical order, to obviate any unwholesome criticism, we imagine, about the superiority of any one Indian language to any other Assamese Literature happens to be the first of the series.

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। (Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy is a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language and is considered as one of the pioneers of the Navya movement. He is well known among Indian authors. Wikipedia Born: December 21, 1932 (age 81), Thirthahalli Spouse: Esther Ananthamurthy (m. 1956) Education: University of Birmingham Books: Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man, Bhava)

Cornell University is an

American private Ivy League research university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. Wikipedia

Address: Ithaca, NY 14850, United States

A few years ago, during his visit to Cornell University, U. R. Ananthamurthy asked a group of professors and doctoral students why vernacular Indian literary texts so rarely receive the kind of careful attention critics give to major texts in European and American literature. Emphasising the need for extended textual readings as well as cross-regional analysis of the literary traditions in India, he called for textual comparisons that highlight similarities and differences in the way common themes and similar social situations are treated. He argued that several strands of cultural and social influence run through Indian literary texts, strands that are impossible to see clearly if our focus remains confined to the works of any one linguistic or regional tradition. Fakir Mohan Senapati's late-19th century Oriya novel, Chha Mana Atha Guntha, the most recent translation of which, Six Acres and a Third, appeared in 2005 (Indian edition by Penguin in 2006). Focussing on literary and cultural analyses, this collection of essays presents one distinct and complex view from the Indian context, but it is a view with wider implications.

The Sahitya Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954. The Government of India Resolution, which set forth the constitution of the Akademi, described it as a national organisation to work actively for the development of Indian letters and to set high literary standards, to foster and co-ordinate literary activities in all the Indian languages and to promote through them all the cultural unity of the country. Though set up by the Government, the Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation. It was registered as a society on 7 January 1956, under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is the central institution for literary dialogue, publication and promotion in the country and the only institution that undertakes literary activities in twenty-four Indian languages, including English. Over the 56 years of its dynamic existence,

Akademi gives twenty-four awards annually to literary works in the languages it has recognized and an equal number of awards to literary translations from and into the languages of India, both after a year long process of scrutiny, discussion and selection. It also gives special awards called Bhasha Samman to significant contribution to the languages not formally recognized by the Akademi as also for contribution to classical and medieval literature.Akademi has launched Centres for Translation in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi, and an Archive of Indian Literature in Delhi. A project office for the promotion of Tribal and Oral literature has also been set up in the North Eastern Hill University Campus, Shillong.

Kolkata: This Regional Office looks after the publication and programme work in Assamese, Bengali,

Bodo, Manipuri and Oriya, besides a part of publication work in English and Tibetan. It also handles

programmes in the other north-eastern languages. The Regional office maintains a major Library.

Bangalore: Looks after the publication and programme work in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu,

besides a part of publication in English. Located in Central College Campus. This regional office also has a

major library.

Chennai Office: This office works as sub regional office and looks after the Tamil language and its

programmes.

Mumbai: It was set up in 1972. It looks after the publication and programme work in Gujarati. Konkani,

Marathi and Sindhi, besides a part of publication work in English and Hindi.

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Dear friends, We, today ( date) this initial committee, with due respect to every writers, here, we called you to form an association of Indian writers, declaring as follows: We see literature in the sense of ART (not propaganda) and we feel a need for the diffusion of Literature as art from country to country. We are here for hospitable friendliness between writers, in our own country, and with the writers of all other countries. We are here for humane conduct. (we will in no circumstances engage in political activities) and aim at as follows: To create a supportive network of authors (including literary translators) within and beyond India To Create world wide publishing opportunities for emerging and established Indian authors via discussions, forums, meetings, workshops, festivals, and mentoring To promote all regional language and literature in India To create a free place where authors would be able to exchange their views, conduct workshops/ writing camps and stay for a brief time ( especially for outstation/ foreign authors) including our ( this association) own office. To work for peace when need arises.

We subscribe to these principles: Literature, national though it is in origin, knows no frontiers and should remain common currency between nations in spite of political or international upheavals. In all circumstances, particularly in times of war, works of art, the patrimony of humanity at large, should be left untouched by national or political passion. Members of PEN should at all times use what influence they have in favour of good understanding and mutual respect between nations, and members pledge themselves to do their utmost to dispel race, class and national hatreds, and to champion the ideal of one humanity living in peace in one world. PEN stands for the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression in the country and community to which they belong, as well as through out the world wherever this is possible. PEN declares for a free press and opposes arbitrary censorship in time of peace. It believes that the necessary advance of the world toward a more highly organised political and economic order renders free criticism of governments, administrations and institutions imperative. And since freedom implies voluntary restraint, members pledge themselves to oppose the evils of a free press as mendacious publication, deliberate falsehood and distortion of facts for political or personal ends. We wish you to sign and form this organization to be called ‘PEN India’ as it is written in this Paper.

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To promote intellectual co-

operation and understanding among writers;

To create a world community of writers that would

emphasize the central role of literature in the development of world culture; and,

. , , ,

To defend literature against the many threats to its survival which

the modern world poses.