Sunday Times 2
SAARC Cultural Centre launches annual anthologies
The morning of September 16 proved to be just like any other this week at the BMICH where the Colombo International Book Fair was in full swing. The chatter of shoppers and the rustle of shopping bags carrying the lingering scent of new books seemed overpowering but away from the bustle of the crowd in a white tent on the lawn outside the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Hall a related event was taking place.
This was the launch of two eagerly awaited books by the SAARC Cultural Centre. Contemporary Short Stories of the SAARC Region 2012 and Poems from the SAARC Region 2012 were the annual anthologies launched by the SAARC Cultural Centre under the patronage of Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka S. Amarasekara. Amongst the distinguished guests present were the Director of the Indian Cultural Centre, Shri Ramachandran, Deputy Director of Research SAARC Cultural Centre Dr. Sanjay Garg and President of the Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association Vijitha Yapa.
The book launch was in line with the SAARC agenda for culture with the objective of promoting South Asian literature and reaching out to a wider audience using literature. Contemporary Short Stories of the SAARC Region is the second in a series and is a collection of 44 contemporary short stories from countries ranging from Afghanistan to Nepal and Maldives.
Speaking on the book of short stories, it’s Editor Piyal Kariyawasam; explained that the book is “a good opportunity for writers to express themselves and their cultural identities”.
All the stories are built around Asian themes and focus on issues faced by everyday people in day-to-day situations. The contributors are all from the South Asian region and are published writers.
Amongst the Sri Lankan contributors are literary figures such as Dayasena Gunasinghe and Eric Illayapparachchi.
Poems from the SAARC Region consists of over 100 compositions from all over the SAARC region. The subject matter stays true to the essence of South Asian culture with the poets’ impressions of their cultural identity and westernisation.