Bhubaneswar, Nov. 29: The 3rd edition of SOA Literary Festival kicked off on Saturday with Odisha governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati asserting that though technology had been expanding and reshaping human relationship, it could not replace the depth of human experience.
“At present, Artificial Intelligence has been reshaping communication, creativity and even human relationship, but the future influenced by AI will still depend on empathy, ethical judgment and ability to imagine what lies ahead,” Dr. Kambhampati said while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day festival at SOA campus here.
The ceremony was graced by legendary poet, writer, scriptwriter and thinker Javed Akhtar who was presented with the first SOA Sahitya Samman on the occasion.
The award comprises a citation, a shawl, a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati and cash prize of Rs. seven lakh. Instituted this year, the award will be presented to an eminent litterateur whose work exemplifies excellence, creativity and intellectual depth.
This is the third Literary Festival organised by the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) which is being attended by more than 100 poets, writers, novelists, theatre and media persons from across the country many of whom will be speaking at 30 different sessions over two days.
The theme of the festival this time is ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence’ focusing on the impact of technical innovation on human creativity and literature.
The program was presided over by SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda while Dr. K. Sreenivasarao, former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi and Ms. Saswati Das, Vice-President of SOA attended as guests of honour. Prof (Dr) Gayatribala Panda, Head, PPRACHIN and Director and Curator, SOA Literary Festival welcomed the guests while Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean (Students Welfare) and Chief Coordinator of the festival, proposed the vote of thanks.
Dr. Kambhampati congratulated Akhtar on being chosen as the recipient of the first SOA Sahitya Samman while stating that his extraordinary contribution as a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter had shaped the cultural consciousness of India for more than five decades. He has given the voice to human emotion enriching Indian literature and cinema, he said.
“The honour conferred on him elevates the prestige of the award in its first year,” he said.
Describing the SOA Deemed to be University as a premier institution of higher learning, Dr. Kambhampati said the work being done by PPRACHIN and its dedication to research and digitalization points its steadfast commitment to conservation.
“A society that reads thinks, a society that thinks becomes one that progresses,” he said while describing literature as the companion in moral development.
Long before modern system of education emerged, stories, poems and ethics taught society truth, justice, courage and compassion, he said adding literature acts as a mirror to the society, challenges injustice, shows social inequalities and is a transformative course that shapes character, inculcates sympathy and expands the world view.
Akhtar, replying to his felicitation and presentation of the award, said he was overwhelmed by the honour bestowed on him. “It is a great opportunity and honour to be invited by such a university,” he said.
Describing language, culture, mythology, poetry and art as great resources, Akhtar said when India gained independence the country could not even manufacture a needle, but today it had become one of the most industrialized nations of the world.
“But in our pursuit of material achievement, we have left some baggage on the platform thinking they were not needed. Somewhere we started believing that we could not carry everything we have, and culture is one of it,” he said.
‘River Daya’, the English translation of Prof Gayatribala Panda’s book ‘Dayanadi’ and three books published by PPRACHIN—two Sabha Parvas and Madhya Parva of ‘Saroladas Mahabharatha’ were released on the occasion.
Akhtar, who was subsequently interviewed by actor and producer Vani Tripathy Tikoo on stage and interacted with faculty members and students, spoke about Artificial Intelligence saying technology had no morality. “It depends on how you use it,” he said.
Citing the example of nuclear energy, he said it could be used both for bad and good purposes.
“The resources in it are not bad. If you delve into history, people were afraid of all discoveries, even the steam engine describing it as the vehicle of the devil,” he said while stating that it could not be creative.
“At present, it has limitations and is dependent on data. What will happen in the future cannot be said now,” he said adding right now there is no challenge to human creativity.
