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AGNI, a Symbol of Devotion and Inspiration: Sparking Intellectual and Spiritual Growth through PILF-2024

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ॐ अग्निमीले पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् होतारं रत्नधातमम्। (ऋग्वेद)

During the cold month of January, when people seek warmth and engage in celebrations and daily activities, the Writers Capital Foundation is eagerly organizing the anticipated Panorama International Literature Festival 2024, centered around the theme of ‘Fire’. Fire is a symbol of devotion and passion, representing sacred flames and transformative energy that can ignite minds and souls worldwide.

Fire, or Agni, holds great significance in Indian mythology, folklore, and literature. It is considered a sacred element that exemplifies purity, energy, and transformation. In ancient times, fire was not only essential for survival but also played an integral role in daily life and religious rituals.

In Indian mythology, Agni is personified as the God of Fire, one of the most revered deities who acts as a bridge between humans and gods. He is believed to be a messenger of the gods, conveying their offerings from Earth to the heavens. Additionally, Agni is regarded as the protector of homes, safeguarding them from evil spirits and bringing blessings to households.

The importance of fire can be observed in various religious ceremonies and rituals, such as hawan, dhuni, and akhand jyot in temples throughout Indian culture. Lighting the sacred fire, known as Homa, is a common practice in Hindu ceremonies. It is believed that offerings made to the fire carry the prayers and wishes of devotees to the gods.

For instance, in the Shri Akhandvasini Temple in Golghar, Bihar, a continuous lamp of ghee and oil has been burning for over a century. This “akhand jyoti” or perpetual fire symbolizes the purification of negative energies and the transformation into positive ones.

Fire is often depicted in Indian folklore as a powerful force capable of both destruction and creation. The Rigveda, one of the oldest texts in Indian literature, contains numerous hymns dedicated to Agni. In these hymns, Agni is portrayed as the divine fire that connects the earthly world with the celestial realms. He serves as the carrier of sacrifices from humans to gods, bridging the gap between mortal and divine realms. The Atharva Veda, another important Vedic text, highlights Agni’s association with healing and protection.

The significance of fire is also evident in the festivals of Holika Dahan and Dusshera, which symbolize the triumph of good over evil. In the epic Mahabharata, Agni plays a crucial role when the Pandavas, in disguise during their exile, assist Agni in consuming the Khandava forest. This episode emphasizes the power of Agni and the significance of fire in the cycle of creation and destruction.

Symbolically, the Bhagavad Gita presents the fire of knowledge, which burns away ignorance and leads to spiritual enlightenment. The Agni Pareeksha of Sita in the Ramayana is a topic of discourse and debate among historians and scholars, as it represents the purity of the soul through the act of testing someone’s loyalty through fire.

Beyond its spiritual and metaphorical importance, fire also serves practical purposes in everyday life. In rural areas, it is used for cooking, heating, and protecting crops from pests. Fire is also seen as a symbol of prosperity and is believed to bring good fortune and success when maintained in a controlled and pure form.

The deep-rooted cultural significance of fire in Indian mythologies, folklore, and literature is a testament to its importance. It represents not only the physical properties of heat and light but also symbolizes purification, knowledge, and spiritual awakening.

The presence of fire in rituals and ceremonies signifies the connection between humans and the divine. Its portrayal in legends and literature reveals its transformative and creative powers. Overall, fire, or Agni, holds a prominent place in Indian culture, reminding us of its vital role in both the physical and spiritual realms and its enduring significance in Indian traditions.

The PILF 2024 aims to bring together scholars, art and literature lovers, and academicians from around the world. With a theme centered around Agni, a symbol of great cultural and historical importance in Indian society, the event has become thought-provoking and stimulating.

Illuminate Humanity_ A Candlelit Pledge during Panorama International Literature festivalThe significance of Agni in the Indian context cannot be overstated. It carries deep spiritual, cultural, and historical connotations, making it a fitting theme for a forum that seeks to foster dialogue and exchange of ideas. The PILF 2024 have charmed erudite scholars and intellectuals who are passionate about exploring the intricate relationship between Agni and various aspects of Indian society.

The International fest is serving as a platform for delegates to participate, connect, share, and ultimately transform their energies. In an atmosphere of intellectual rigor and cultural exchange, attendees are getting benefitted and availing the opportunity to engage in discussions that delve into the multifaceted nature of Agni. By bringing together experts with diverse perspectives, the event has fueled meaningful conversations and groundbreaking insights.

PILF 2024 is aspiring to transcend geographical boundaries and bridge the gap between different cultures. Delegates from various countries have brought their unique experiences and insights, creating an enriching environment for intellectual growth and collaboration. By fostering connections among participants, the fest is providing platform to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and ideas, sparking new intellectual pursuits and projects.

Through the collective efforts of scholars, art and literature lovers, and academicians, the fest is receiving success in harnessing the power of Agni inside folks igniting them with new possibilities for personal and societal growth.

Moreover, through the Panorama International Literature Festival-2024, Preeth Nambiar, President of the Writer Capital Foundation, is fostering a cosmic creation by igniting the literary minds and souls of the global literary fraternity and that is highly appreciable deed. He promises that the Writer Capital Foundation would continue to awaken the universe, connect minds, sustain lives, and promote literature while serving humanity’s noble cause with the primordial fire of passion.

Article by
Dr Shalini Yadav

About the author

An avid poet, writer, humanitarian, ambassador of peace and professor, Dr Shalini Yadav holds a PhD in Post-colonial Literature and M. Phil in English Language Teaching (ELT) from the University of Rajasthan, India and a course in Advanced Creative Writing from the University of Oxford, UK. During her tenure as an educator in India, Libya and Saudi Arabia, she has participated and presented papers at conferences and seminars, chaired sessions and delivered lectures. She keeps reading her poems and short stories at various National and International poetry carnivals. She has meticulously written and also reviewed a large number of scholarly research articles for various National and International refereed journals and edited volumes. She is Public Relation Officer at iSPELL India, Administrator and Star Poetry Publisher at The Passion of Poetry and member of various literary societies including prestigious Writers Capital Foundation, ICERT, PLCS, AINET etc. She is Chief Editor for the International Forum of The Internal News. The editor of Open Page in Writers International Edition, she is also an efficacious member of the editorial boards of various qualitative journals of many countries. She has authored and edited 10 books till now and working on her next project entitled Contemporary African Women Writers . Her major books include Reconnoitering Postcolonial Literature , Emerging Psyche of Women: A Feminist Perspective , On the Wings of Life: Women Writing Womanhood , Postcolonial Transition and Cultural Dialectics , and Communication Techniques . Besides, her poetry books includes Across the Seas , Floating Haiku , Kinship With You: A Collection of Poems , Till the End of Her Subsistence: An Anthology of Poems , and one in Hindi Kshitiz Ke Us Paar . Many of her short stories and poems are published in numerous peer-reviewed journals and anthologies. She is recipient of Savitribai Phule Excellence Award-2023, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award-2023 and Global Women Icon Award-2023.

Panorama International Literature Festival 2024 Begins with “Illuminate Humanity: A Candlelit Pledge”

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Athens (Greece): The much-anticipated Panorama International Literature Festival 2024, hosted by The Writers Capital Foundation, commenced its literary journey on January 1st, 2024, with a poignant and symbolic initiation— the “Illuminate Humanity: A Candlelit Pledge” program.

This inaugural event captured the essence of global collaboration, as people from diverse corners of the world, including esteemed delegates, united virtually to participate in the candlelight ceremony. The metaphorical act of lighting candles served as a universal pledge to spread kindness and compassion, setting the tone for the festival’s overarching theme of embracing humanity through literature.

Delegates and literature enthusiasts from various countries contributed to the luminous spectacle. The virtual gathering witnessed a kaleidoscope of candles being lit, symbolizing a collective commitment to illuminating the world with the virtues of kindness and compassion.

The Candlelit Pledge saw a heartening display of unity, underscoring the festival’s mission to bridge cultures through the universal language of literature. Participants shared their candlelit moments on social media platforms, fostering a global sense of connection.

“The ‘Illuminate Humanity’ program marks the inauguration of Panorama International Literature Festival 2024 with a profound and symbolic gesture. Literature has the power to transcend borders, and this program exemplifies our collective dedication to fostering a more compassionate and understanding world,” said Preeth Nambiar, President of The Writers Capital Foundation.

As the festival unfolds, attendees can expect an array of literary events, insightful discussions, and engaging sessions that promise to transcend cultural boundaries. Panorama International Literature Festival 2024 is not merely a celebration of words but a global rendezvous for minds eager to explore the vast landscape of human experiences through the medium of literature.

 

Importance of Literature

Importance Of Literature

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There are a large number of people in society who assume and believe that literature is insignificant and underestimate its potential to bless our minds with exceptional wisdom. Those people generally give an impression that persons who are more interested in sciences and mathematics are only going to have great careers and the students who are more inclined towards humanities or arts subjects such as languages and literature and other subjects are going to survive with the low-paying jobs in their professional life. Commonly, an impression is passed on that literature has no importance. On the other hand, to many people, literature serves as a gateway toward the horizon of learning from history and widens the understanding and knowledge about the world.

 First of all, literature helps us to unlock our minds and perception of the world and allows us to see out of the box. With this, we begin to reflect, ask questions, and understand better.

History and literature are interwoven with each other forever. History produces literature and the latter preserves the former. While we study literature, we also study history at the same time and come to know about heroes, people, customs and traditions, lifestyle, fashion, and interests of that contemporary times. The world of the present era is not akin to that was in the 14th century, the people have changed to a great extent. Without literature, we would not have been able to know about the characters, social and political issues, history, and the people who came before us and walked on the same ground as us.

Reading literature gives us knowledge about history, religion, customs, and traditions; and provides us the opportunity of understanding customs and beliefs other than our own. Literature helps us to understand other systems of living around the world.

Reading literature helps manifolds in strengthening and improving writing skills. Reading plays a pivotal role in enhancing one’s writing skills and style. Do you question yourself after opening a book and reading the content: How did this person imagine and write this? The answer is that most of the authors, playwrights, and poets had read much literature before they themselves became writers.

Literature cultivates knowledge in the mind of the readers and provides wisdom of good and evil; and experiences the call to justice. Though literature can never itself make us a better person it can play a major role in assisting us in the quest. It can enhance our way of living after examining and understanding the meanings and moral lessons hiding in literary texts. (We learn what is healthy and destructive in the world and are challenged to face injustice and its consequences. Literature can challenge us to ask what we can do to eliminate the problems that have been portrayed.

Literature is filled with human reactions and emotions. The psychology of humans is craftsmanly represented in plays, novels, poems, epics, essays, and diaries. As we read and analyze literature, we are at the same time studying human psychology through different characters and gaining more knowledge about it.

We get more significant information about ourselves and our responses by studying literature because we naturally collate our lives with those in literature. We deepen our feeling of human reactions and our own self-responses, as we equate and contrast, not only the views of multiple authors but also our own views. By studying literature, we can become deeper and more self-conscious people.

Literature becomes a great source of entertainment and pleasure when one develops a literary taste. Reading novels, plays, drama, and non-fiction stuff becomes a major hobby of people and they love spending time with books in their leisure time. It is a perfect activity if your hobby serves you with knowledge, information, and pearls of wisdom besides being a source of entertainment.

One of the major aspects of literature, whether it be novel, drama, poems, or other forms, is to address human nature and conditions that affect all people. These may be the need for progress, confusion, and horrors of success and failure, the need for companions and family, the generosity of compassion and empathy, confidence, or the perception of imperfection. Through literature, we come to know that imperfection is not always unfortunate and that being always normal can be boring. We learn the thing that life should be enjoyed and lived to the fullest. In short, we require a literature to make connections with our own humanity.

The restart of the Race for the cure

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On 5-8 May 2022, the XXII edition of the Race for the cure took place in Rome, in the historical setting of the Circus Maximus, organised by Komen Italia, under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.  At this link, the official video of this XXII edition:

More than 50 thousand people took part in the Race of Rome; in four days, 1400 free services for the early diagnosis of breast cancer and other female pathologies were provided in the Health Village, especially for women in socially fragile conditions, including some Ukrainian refugees. The Race for the cure is the world’s largest event to raise awareness of breast cancer prevention and counteract the delays created by the pandemic. The pink tide of participants took more than 40 minutes to cross the starting line and broke a special record.

As always, the protagonists of this special event of health, sport and solidarity were the ‘women in pink’ – women who have personally faced breast cancer – who with their testimony have contributed over the years to a radical cultural change in the approach to the disease.

The Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri and the President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti, together with the US Ambassador to the UN agencies Cindy McCain, Prof. Riccardo Masetti, President of Komen Italia and the godmothers of Komen Italia Maria Grazia Cucinotta and Rosanna Banfi, officially kicked off the traditional 5 km run and 2 km walk. Also present at the start were the Councillor for the Environment of the Municipality of Rome Sabrina Alfonsi, the Councillor for School, Training and Work, Claudia Pratelli, the Director General Organisation Ministry of Culture Marina Giuseppone, Violante Guidotti Bentivoglio, CEO of Komen Italia, and Prof. Giovanni Scambia, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, together with corporate partners Duarte Dias and Barbara Saba of Johnson and Johnson, Monica Cerroni of the FASDA Fund, Fabio Fossati of the AF group, Simonetta Soverini of Unisalute, Alberto Stanzione of Pfizer, Patrizia Pavone of Roma Capitale, volleyball champion Andrea Lucchetta with the General Secretary of the Italian Volleyball Federation Stefano Bellotti and many other personalities from the world of journalism, television, the web, sport, culture and for the youngest ones the Winx.

The Health Village, coordinated by Prof. Daniela Terribile (Vice-President of Komen Italia) and Dr. Alba Di Leone, was visited by Health Minister Roberto Speranza, and was carried out in collaboration with the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS.

Since 2000 to date, thanks mainly to the Race for the Cure, Komen Italia has been able to invest more than 21 million euros to set up more than 1,000 projects for the protection of women’s health in Italy.

The Race will pass through 6 other Italian cities: Bari (13 – 15 May), Naples (20 – 22 May), Bologna (16 – 18 September), Brescia (23 – 25 September), Matera (30 September – 2 October) and Pescara (7 – 9 October).

As for the 8 May Race in Rome, first across the line in the women’s category was Elisa Palmero of C.S. Esercito in 17’06”, followed by Sara Carnicelli of Athletica Vaticana A.S.D. in 17’09” and Angelina Cavalieri of Podistica Solidarietà in 19’24”.

In the men’s category: first classified Riccardo Passeri of TZ Fitness S.S.D.ARL in 15’44”, Domenico Liberatore of Podistica Solidarietà in 16” and Lorenzo Rieti of ASD Atletica La Sbarra. More and more women in pink participated individually and also in teams. Stefania Pomponi of Podistica Solidarietà crossed the finish line first in 21’01”, followed by Ilaria Piscitelli of G.S. Cat Sport Roma in 21’02” and Michaela Gessini of Italia Marathon Club SSDRL in 24’19”.

Once again this year, the Race for the Cure was held with the patronage and participation of the Lazio Region, Roma Capitale, C.O.N.I., Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Italian Army, Carabinieri, National Fire Brigade, Italian Football Federation, Italian Volleyball Federation, Italian Athletics Federation, Italian Basketball Federation, Italian Golf Federation, Italian Rowing Federation, Italian Cooks Federation and Rai Social Responsibility.

The event is made possible by the precious collaboration of hundreds of volunteers and thanks to the generous support of numerous companies sensitive to health and prevention issues. The main partners are: Amgen, Fasda, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Gilead, AF Group, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Unisalute. Aveeno and Biafin are partners in the ‘Women in Pink’ area. Official suppliers Hertz and Lete. The installation of the Emotional Room this year was made possible thanks to the contribution of Valmontone Outlet. The technical organisation of the race is, as usual, entrusted to GSB RUN (Gruppo Sportivo Bancari Romani).

Fundamental also this year was the support of the Press, Advertising, TV and Web that played a role in promoting the Race for the Cure.

Join the next Race for the cure in Bologna (16 – 18 September), Brescia (23 – 25 September), Matera (30 September – 2 October) and Pescara (7 – 9 October)!

For information www.komen.it

For donations and registration: www.raceforthecure.it

A brief look at a famous phrase ‘Every man ends up killing what he loves’

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The phrase was used by Oscar Wilde in his poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” and is an allusion to Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”, in a paraphrase in Wilde’s typical and ironic way. In this work, Bassiano asks “Do all men kill what they love?” and Oscar Wilde made it his most famous and contradictory verse.
 
If we want to analyze this phrase, we must read the rest of the poem or at least the central stanza:
“… However, each man kills what he loves […].
Some do it with a sour look
Some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss;
The brave man with a sword…. ”
It is obvious that the poet wants to link love – in its most extreme meaning, painful and perhaps desperate and forbidden – with a dangerous potential that can drive a man to madness, or worse, to death. And be it himself or the person he loves. The reference to Othello perhaps who killed his adored wife, or to the cowardice of Judas who denounced Jesus with that kiss of the most notorious betrayal, which without equal has righteously been considered as the most horrendous betrayal of all history; Romeo’s bitter gaze at his lover and at the whole world when he saw the dead body Juliet right before he drank the poison to be together with her, and the same kind of antemortem gaze of hers that saw nothing alive around her after her precious Romeo had died, ending up killing herself with his own dagger to follow him into eternity.
 
Of course, there are cases in which someone begins by expressing his love, towards his adoration, and ends up destroying the thing, the person or the adored idea. Nietzsche, for example, the German philosopher, wanted to elaborate on the phenomenon of Jesus, his miracles, his love for all humanity and ended after so much analysis by declaring that God does not exist or is dead, surprising negatively in addition to his religious and conservative family, the entire society of his time, the church, and the world of literature and philosophy. And he keeps doing it!
 
When it comes to love within a couple, everything can start as an omen for a miraculous, unconditional and eternal love, but over time it can turn into a nightmare due to selfishness, lack of communication and respect, simply because of daily problems or routine. That means the end of love, i.e. its death, at the hands of the lovers or at least by one of the two. Because pride, arrogance and arrogance lead to alienation and ultimate breakup.
 
Finally, there is the path that leads to the end, and that is the death of oneself, that is by means of suicide. It is the way to end the greatest gift that God or the universe has given to man, that is, one’s own life. It may be that one does it out of disappointment, out of despair, or to free oneself from a tormenting situation; out of the desire to escape from a tragic and unbearable life equaling to bodily torture. Regardless of the objective or the cause, the person who points the weapon, the sword or the dagger against oneself, ends up killing what he probably loves the most – or in the end hates the most – that is, one’s own life. Because according to the same famous and popular poet, Oscar Wilde, only great loves are of short duration, killed at last for their fullness; while superficial loves, like superficial sorrows too, are of long duration.
The man had killed the thing he loved
  And so he had to die.
Yet each man kills the thing he loves
  By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
  Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
  The brave man with a sword!
Some kill their love when they are young,
  And some when they are old;
Some strangle with the hands of Lust,
  Some with the hands of Gold:
The kindest use a knife, because
  The dead so soon grow cold.
Some love too little, some too long,
  Some sell, and others buy;
Some do the deed with many tears,
  And some without a sigh:
For each man kills the thing he loves;
Yet each man does not die.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Oscar Wilde – 1854-1900

Short Biography

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 16, 1854. He attended Trinity College, Dublin, from 1871 to 1874 and Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1874 to 1878. At Oxford, he received the Newdigate Prize for his long poem Ravenna (T. Shrimpton and Son, 1878). He also became involved in the aesthetic movement, advocating for the value of beauty in art.
 
Article by Irene Doura-Kavadia
© Irene Doura-Kavadia
Linguist-Author-Educationist
Editor-in-Chief, Writers Edition

 

A MILESTONE IN OUR JOURNEY

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I have immense pleasure to address you all to express my sincere gratitude for accepting the magazine close to your hearts. The number of responses that we receive from every nuke and corner of the world itself proves how well our attempt is appreciated. Thank you all for supporting us! Sincere gratitude to the directors of Writers Capital International Foundation (WCIF) from across the world, whose enthusiasm has been a great motivation for our efforts.

Although Internet is the vastest resource in today’s world, there is still a scarcity of a platform where we can find all genres of literature under a single roof. When there are some websites that offer good content, they fail to present them in an attractive way; if someone successfully brings a good design, they fail to bring the best of the content; if everything happens, they lack simplicity in accessing the content. It is considering all these aspects we have conceived the idea of a complete magazine – The Litterateur. All that we offer is a venue where under the shades of the trees we can sit for a while and fill our souls with the nectar of literature to our hearts’ content, in the best digital ambience.

The evolution of the idea of Litterateur Online was not an abrupt process! It came out of a strong drive to bring something powerful and meaningful media to bring quality works into mainstream literature. Writers, fundamentally, are innocent creatures and are often tend to be carried away by false promises by people they trust. When the selfish motives of a few self-proclaimed masters and leaders in social media work, it is often the innocence of those sensitive and sensible writers being deceived. The moment when we realise this, it would be too late and we find ourselves shattered upon the understanding of the world and its deception.

It is time to wake-up to reality and to identify what is good and sustainable for the future as a writer. For the very same we need formal platforms beyond the virtual world where certificates evolved out of the imagination of graphic designers has nothing to offer but a few hours or days of excitement. All that we need to do is to seek opportunities to refine our skills in writing, to invite more experiences in life for rich content in the works and to further expand vision globally. Who on earth, would not wish his or her name famed across the world? However, I earnestly believe that the same should not be the only aim of writing. The very moment we complete a workbrings the greatest reward of it and a great work, even if you hide it in your shelf, will come out to the limelight one or the other day.

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.” Thus says George Fisher andI understand we have a long way to go before we translate the concept of a complete magazine into reality. On this occasion, I am glad to inform you all that we are ready with the print edition of Litterateur Online named The Litterateur. We have a panel of editors who would select the best works from Litterateur Online, however we regret that we are unable to publish all works in the print edition due to limited pages in it. Primary responses show that the magazine will have extensive reach across the globe and I am sure this will take your name and fame beyond the political barriers.

We have one country known as earth, we have one religion known as love and we stand for those mighty values of humanity! Let us all dedicate ourselves for the noble causes of humanity that would turn earth a better place to live!

Warm Regards,

Editor-in-Chief

NO BLACK-TIE DINNER WITH THE SWEDISH KING FOR THIS YEAR’S NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS

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Nobel Prize winners usually attend a royal banquet inside the glittering Stockholm City Hall, where they accept their awards from the king and rub shoulders with other dignitaries and laureates.

But most of this year’s awards are being given out in scaled-down ceremonies this week in the laureates’ home countries. For the second year running, the pandemic has disrupted the festivities.

On Monday, the author Abdulrazak Gurnah was the first to receive his award, the Nobel Prize in Literature, in a ceremony at the Swedish ambassador’s residence in London.

“Customarily you would receive the prize from the hands of His Majesty, the king of Sweden,” Ambassador Mikaela Kumlin Granitshe told Gurnah, according to the Associated Press. “However, this year you will be celebrated with a distance forced upon us because of the pandemic.”

The award comes with a gold medal, a diploma and more than $1 million in prize money.