Marathi literary meet: Writers speak on democracy, need to empower all sections of society

The 95th All India Marathi Literary Conference being held in Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar Sahitya Nagari in Latur saw a seminar on 'Writers and Democratic Values' on Saturday with participants stressing on the importance of writing on environment, agriculture, unemployment and issues facing the poor. Among the participants were state Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Deshpande, environmentalist Atul Deulgaonkar, writer Dilip Chavan, writer-director Rajkumar Tangde, author Sonali Navangul, scholar Hemangi Joshi and journalist Halima Khureshi, while Deepak Pawar conducted the proceedings.

While Deshpande said his department had introduced 'Chat on Democracy' to strengthen people's participation in elections, Hemangi Joshi, a scholar on Adivasi issues, said writers must approach topics like health and education as these are fundamental needs of the common man.

Navangul said the rights of everyone, from the disabled to the deprived, must be kept in mind while empowering democracy, and Rajkumar Tangde, writer of the renowned play 'Shivaji Underground in Bhimnagar Mohalla', opined the right to equality would be protected only if literature is written to connect minds rather than to disconnect.