Saahitya Sammelanacha Multifaceted Kavitva....

contraversies and social activities go hand in hand,they say,but this time a major cotraversial decision by akhil bharatiya marathi saahitya mahamandal-the apex body in marathi litreary institutes has resulted in major shocks after the mahamandal gave nod to an invite from bay area maharashtra mandal in san francisco to organise the next akhil bharatiya marathi saahity a sammelan in america.
while the bay area mandal is fully determined to host the next sammelan,the protest voices back home in india from promonent literateurs to publishers and common people besides media are gathering momentum day by day.
former presidents of marathi saahitya sammelan prof. gangadhar gadgil,prof.k.j.purohit,prof.subhash bhende and prof .ram shevalkar unequivocally registered their protest against the mahamandal's decision to hold the next marathi literary meet in united states.the general resentment is due to deprivation of common people from attending the saahitya sammelan if an overseas venue was opted for ,they said.renowned poet vinda karandikar came out with rather sarcastic remark saying,let the sammelan be held at south pole ,instead of bay area; so that it will attract even more people.
publishers in maharashtra .including ashok kothavale and anil mehta also expressed strong reluctance to accepting decision of saahitya mahamandal in both letters and spirit.it was not feasible to carry huge loads of books to any venue aall the way to any venue in america from hereas it was a gigantic task.publishers could not afford to gamble without any financial assurance,said mehta,addind that it was a stupid decision to accept invite from bay area mandal.the decision was made to favour only a chosen few for a joy tour of america,he said.
not withstanding all that criticism and intense protest voices,the bay area mandal is jubilant to have received an opportunity to host akhil bharatiya saahitya sammelan,coinciding with the silver jubilee of the host organisation.the atmosphere is vibrant,the mood is festive and the response-encouraging,observed sandeep deokule,president ,bay ares maharashtra mandal,who has passed many a hurdles from bylanes of byculla all the way to bay area,san francisco.we are all preparing for celebrations that are associated with the literary meet,he said.the sammelan would be highly helpful in bridging gaps and start a new era in literary stream as well as socio-cultural fields,he said.
a senior journalist in pune,who is also an enthusiast in literature asserted that the mahamandal better devote its energy and manpower in preservation and upliftment of both written and spoken marathi at home,which was facing huge deterioration especially when it came to masses.accepting the invite from bay area mandal was a welcome decision ,but needed a practically logical consideration,he said ,adding,a domestic venue would enable masses to connect with themainstream of literature in addition to their interaction with their favourite writers and poets.massive sales of books amounting to a few crore rupees was itself a practical selfexplainatory factor.if an overseas venue was accepted,all that will be missed,he pointed out.an opportunity for the bay area mandal to have a special marathi literary meet would certainly be a practical way out,which will enable the mahamandal to have the regular akhil bharatiya saahitya sammelan at a suitable venue in india,he added.
dr.d.v.nene,a literature enthusiast in baroda said,the mahamandal had ample scope to improve the status of marathi at home.the apex body should come out with a planned strategy for betterment of marathi in maharashtra and rest if the states in india,he said.let the organisations in maharashtra and other states in india get chances to host akhil bharatiya marathi saahitya sammelan,the turn for brihanmaharshtra mandals in europe and america may follow in the future,he added.
in stark contrast to the heavy opposition and strong protests audible allover literary world back home in india,united states based marathi businessman,writer and president of advisory board for brihanmaharshtra mandalof north america,shreeniwas thanedar was too optimistic about the forthcoming akhil bharatiya marathi saahitya sammelan slated to be held in san francisco in february next year.he expressed immense pleasure over the mahamandal's decision to organise the next sammelen in united states.marathi speaking people allover north america would be more than happy to welcome the mainstream writers and poets besides critics in marathi and organising the sammelan in states would provide a boost to the cultural,linguistic and social movements of marathi people here,he prodly observed.the new generation of marathi speaking population ain america and canada will ,sure,be glad to be exposed to the currents and undercurrents as well as progress of marathi literature,thanedar said.
electrnic and print media based in maharahtra came out fully in support of providing outlet to general anguish from promonrent figures as well as the common people.star majhaa and ibn marathi television channels conducted opinion polls separately,with a common feature of a huge no -no to an american venue for the next saahitya sammelan.
new jersey based neelima and ravi kulkarni categorically opposed an american venue for the next marathi literary meet,saying,masses back home will be deprived of the opportunity to attend and enjoy the sammelan if an overseas venue was opted for,because of financial reasons.the marathi speaking population ahd a golden opportunity to attend b.m.m.conventions in america,and despite of that if some marathijan in north america wished,they can go the venue of saahitya sammelan anywhere in india ,the kulkarnis pointed out.oslo based arvind phatak also registered his strong opposition for a venue in the united states for the saahitya sammelan ,as it would deprieve thosands and thosands of saahityapremis from attending the sammelan.let the sammelan continue to be mass based affair,he stated.