Minister for Information and Communications, Dr Bikram Timilsina, has said that literature is serving as a strong fundamental means of understanding human civilization and life-world in the present world guided by technology, artificial intelligence and algorithm.
At a program 'Himalayan Literature Festival and Writers' Workshop' organized in Kathmandu today, he opined that the literature has connected society and people as well as spurred self-reflection and human sensitivity.
Stating that the theme of this year's the 'Himalayan Literature Festival and Writers' Workshop, 'Ecstasy, Healing and Creative Writing in New World Order', is relevant, Minister Dr Timilsina opined that people have been seeking meaning, respect, identity and hope amidst rapid change in global politics, economy and technology.
"In the era of information technology, we are more connected than ever before but we are not able to understand each other as much as we do before. So literature is indispensable due to this. The literature compels the world, running in a rapid manner, compel to pause for few moment," he argued.
The Communications Minister underlined that the writers have been protecting humanity not only creating lesson, talking about poems, novel and translation.
He also shared the experience that he run a radio program focused on Nepali literature and music for around a decade.
Talking about country's cultural diversity and linguistic heritages, Minister Dr Timisina mentioned that more than 120 languages are spoken in Nepal and each language has its own specialty.
Noting that even before the development of modern communication systems and social media, storytelling, folk songs, and oral traditions had connected society, Communications Minister Timilsina said literature has continuously been refined along with the development of human civilization.
Recalling his literary journey, he mentioned that he published a collection of Nepali ghazals in 2006. He said that poetry can express truths that statistics, policies, and formal speeches cannot convey.
Discussing the Nepali literary tradition, Dr Timilsina mentioned that writers from Adikavi Bhanubhakta Acharya to the Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota connected local realities with universal human thought. He added that contemporary writers, journalists, translators, and literary creators are also advancing this tradition by connecting it with new challenges.
He mentioned that literary fairs, gatherings and platforms help ideas travel freely across borders and around the world, and also expressed his belief that the Kathmandu gathering of international literary figures would help bring Nepal's mountains, heritage, culture, language, and stories to the global community.
Communications Minister Timilsina stated that imagination, language, culture, and memory play as important a role in nation-building as infrastructure, institutions, and the economy.
"The government can build infrastructure. Institutions can create systems. The economy can provide prosperity. But writers, artists, poets, and storytellers shape the inner life (the soul) of the nation," he said.
He said that literary festivals play an important role as a platform for meaningful dialogue, creative collaboration, and the exchange of experiences among creators.
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