2019-20

INKA- The Far Side: The Dark Realm (National Annual Literature Festival)

The Department of English, St. Xavier’s College, Jaipur organised the 6th edition of Literature Fest - INKA on 16 November 2019.  The fest commenced with a grand ceremonious inaugural session comprising of music and a musical monologue. It was graced by the presence of Prof. Sudha Rai, former Dean, faculty of Arts, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, as the Chief Guest while Prof. Rajan Mahan from Haridev Joshi University of Journalism, Jaipur, was the Guest of Honour. The inaugural was  immediately followed by a very interactive Author Session - 'Moon Lit Quill' where two contemporary authors, Arjun Gupta and Vinati Bhola, engaged with the audience on the importance of understanding mental health accompanied by some heart-warming poetry, and at the same time  discussed  their journey as author and poet, respectively.

The fest was a hub of carefully curated activities all in accordance with the theme, The Far Side: The Dark Realm, reflecting the duality of human nature. It portrays the existence of both good and evil in our life. Events were lined up one after the other, from Debate, Quiz and Poetry Slam for the literary enthusiasts to Treasure Hunt, Best Out of Waste and Photography exclusively designed for the more adventurous kind.  The event wrapped up with a prize distribution ceremony where Prof. Joya Chakravarty, former Dean, faculty of Arts, University of Rajasthan, was the Chief Guest, and Dr. Mini Nanda, former Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, was the Guest of Honour. The fest came to an end with the melodious notes of Ol’ Moon Ball, a near perfect end of this delightful journey of unfolding stories and heart-warming episodes.

Author Session - Meeting Two Poets:

Author’s Session was conducted by Soumitra Somendra, student of BA English (Hons.) II, who began with the brief introduction of both the authors- Ms. Vinati Bhola, a corporate lawyer and an internationally published poet who is been writing since the age of 13. Her first collection of poems includes- "Udaari” (an unbridled downpour of emotions through chaos and calm that gradually sweeps in at the end) and Mr. Arjun Gupta, a mental health activist, currently pursuing a degree in Applied Psychology. His books “A- Z of Mental Health" and the recent one "Shh! Don't Talk About Mental Health” (informs as well as engages readers to think about mental health more seriously). Mr. Arjun told us about how we are conditioned to ‘avoid the idea’ when it comes to mental health and how it is also true for things like IGBT and reproductive health, which seems out of place in Indian households. And Ms. Vinati Bhola told us about her works, that how most of her poems are in a conversational tone, which is a way of reaching out to people, to make them listen to what they didn't know, they needed to. And how those extensive use of metaphors in her poetries are the manifestation of her love towards poetry.