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| (National Theatre at Myoma School Road.) |
From
17th January to 19th January of 2015, the Noble-Myanmar
Literary Festival was held at National Theatre, Myoma School(Kyaung) Road,
Rangoon. It celebrates the Burmese writers, poets, and cartoonists, refers to
joyful gatherings of people. Number of people together especially for the book
lovers would come, and rejoice over happy event.
Two
days before the festival, a friend of mine, Ms. Nilanjana Semgupta emailed and
informed me that she was going to give a talk about her coming book; ‘Khin Myo
Chit to Aung San Suu Kyi’ on 19th January at 9:50 AM at National
Theatre. Khin Myo Chit was my grandma, and a writer of Colourful Burma, Anawrahta
of Burma, etc. I promised her that my parents would also attend and listen to her
talk.
On
the 19th January of 2015, the second day of the festival, I came
there with excitement. The National Theatre was a place especially the annual
Academy Award Ceremonies were held. When I was at the entrance, outside the
National Theatre, I saw cartoon exhibition at the left hand side, and the
souvenirs shops where notebooks, bags, key-chains, cups, plates, and T-shirts, etc were
shown at the right hand side of the front corner. I bought bags, and
key-chains for my brother.
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| (Lovely souvenirs.) |
Inside the National Theatre, the talk program was started. Mr.Harald Bockman firstly talked about the Noble Prize, and the Noble Prize winner of DawAung San SuuKyi. He also mentioned the name Mr.Kuloy who was from the UNICEF, and also the publisher of Tamarind Press.
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| (Mr.Harald Bockman showed the photo of Mr.Kuloy the audience.)) |
I knew Mr.Kuloy very well. He was an old friend of
my grandparents. He published my grandma’s two books; ‘A Wonderland of Burmese
Legends’ and ‘Flowers and Festivals Round the Burmese Year’. Mr. Harald Bockman
also showed the covers of my grandma’s books.
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| (My grandma's book 'Twelve Seasons' was shown.) |
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| (Grandma's book 'Burmese Legends.') |
After his talk, came Ms.Nilanjana.
She talked about her book; ‘The Female Voice of Myanmar: Khin Myo Chit to Aung
San Suu Kyi’, and showed some photos of grandma to the audience.
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| (Ms. Nilanjana Semgupta.) |
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| (Her book, 'The Female Voice of Myanmar, Khin Myo Chit to Aung San Suu Kyi.') |
She mentioned
my name in her talk when she pointed one of the family photos, and added that I
was present here today. After the talk, we met her, and said thanks her, and
congratulate her.
I
was again outside the National Theatre, and I saw there were talks and
discussions programs of writers and poets held in three separate places/tents at
some corners, delivered before an audience. It was a public speaking, and a joyful
gathering of all the people who loved poems and novels. They were coming
together, and enjoying listening the talk, and discussion. A writer or poet
expressed feelings, ideas or opinions, or relate experiences to the audience.
Some read a short story as a play-reading. Some talked on a given topic such as
modern art, children stories, philosophy, or post-modern, etc. We could hear
their talk at distance, because they used microphone, and large sound boxes. But
all the talks and discussions, or play-reading programs were held in the same
time. It was not possible to attend and listen to all.
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| (Interesting reading program.) |
There,
cartoons, drawings and photos were shown at one of the corners. It was like a
small gallery exhibiting the artist’s work. The various cartoons which hung on
ports or walls at the left and right hand side of the open ground. The viewers
did not want to miss a bit of that pieces of cartoons and drawings, and took
photos of some as favorite. I saw some cartoonists drew the caricature of their
cartoons-lovers. We all had a good chance to meet our favorite writers, poets,
and cartoonists at the Noble-Myanmar Literary Festival, and listened to their
talk or took photos with them.
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| (Photos Exhibition.) |
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| (Cartoons Exhibition.) |
There
were rows of book stalls, and hundreds of bookshops at one of the temporary
roofs, made with strong cloth, which attracted people to browse them the whole
day. People walked through the never-ending book fare paradise.
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| (Books books everywhere.) |
People would
not worry for their lunch, because there was a Burmese cuisine shop at the near
corner, and we enjoyed the delicious Burmese food, and could take a rest there.
People could watch Writers’s Theatre, plays, and music at night in the National
Theatre. It would be played until mid-night.
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| (Lunch Time.) |
Epilogue
People
enjoyed and wandered for hours in the Noble Myanmar Literary Land. Where people
may wander and browse for hours and come away finally loaded with bundle of
books, and pretty little things. I was happy to wander around the festival
grounds never boring watching colorful things all-around me. I left the place
when I became tired, and left behind me was the air thick with the sound of
talks of writers and poets which were still marching on.
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| (The last glimpse of 'Noble-Myanmar Literary Festival.) |
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