Member Secretary Acharya Says, “It will Hopefully Foster Reading Culture”
[Nepal Academy, Nepalese Society for Children’s Literature (NESCHIL) and Room to Read Nepal, are jointly organizing the first ‘International Children’s Literature Conference-2024.’ The two-day international mega-event is scheduled for the 20th and 21st of September at Nepal Academy. Claimed as Nepal’s ‘first’ international conference on children’s literature, the conference is garnering significant attention within the literary community both locally and globally by dint of diverse participation and eclecticism of the issues to be covered. Amidst the ongoing preparations, we had the opportunity to speak with Bijay Raj Acharya, a prominent figure in children’s literature. Currently serving as the General Secretary of NESCHIL and the Member Secretary of the Conference Steering Committee, Acharya is also a writer, translator, editor, and trainer with over 100 published works, primarily in children’s literature. Here, we present an excerpt from our conversation, focusing on the upcoming conference.]
[Interviewer: Shilash Thapa Tamang and Kushal Pudasaine]
Greetings. To begin with, how did you get fascinated with Children’s Literature?
I used to be involved in student politics back in my school days. During that time, political leaders would distribute small booklets containing powerful ideas. It was then that I realized a book could reach a large number of people and potentially change the world, whereas a leader, as an individual, might influence only a few. This realization sparked my interest in books. Later, I thought that the ‘change’ we often talk about can be achieved by investing in the coming generation. As a matter of fact, it’s much easier to influence a child than to change an adult. Our future society depends on how we nurture our children today. So, I felt the need to work for children to shape the society I dream about, consequently I being driven to children’s literature. In this journey, I have written about 150 books of children’s literature, among which 120 have been published.
An ambitious project on Children’s Literature is going to be carried out. We are reportedly about to observe the ‘International Children’s Literature Conference-2024’ in September. How did the idea pop up? What were the prior preparations?
Never before have had we observed an international-level conference on children’s literature. In the past, there used to be one or two programs each year conducted by Nepal Academy. The present committee of the Nepalese Society for Children’s Literature (NESCHIL), where I serve as General Secretary, showed great eagerness in organizing various activities on children’s literature. From the start, we began cooperating with Nepal Academy, presenting worksheets and different proposals to hold activities on children’s literature. Together with the Academy, we successfully held different conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and competitions on children’s literature. Meanwhile, we initiated a discussion to hold an international-level conference on children’s literature with the Academy’s member-secretary Dhana Prasad Subedi and vice-chancellor Bimal Krishna Shrestha. They agreed, and so did the rest of the stakeholders. With this, we embarked on holding the first international conference on children’s literature. I should mention that earlier, a trilateral Children’s Literature Festival featuring writers from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal had been held, but certainly not as diverse as the one we are organizing. We then reached out to different sponsors and co-organizers for the event. Now, we are on the verge of this historic event.
Who are likely to participate in the upcoming International Conference?
We will have a total of 150 participants, including individuals from various countries. We decided to accommodate up to 25 foreign writers for the event, with provisions to have three writers from each SAARC nation. We decided to invite six participants from India, including three Nepali speakers, due to the significant number of Nepali-speaking communities in India. Participants will also come from countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea. We are still reaching out to include participants from diverse backgrounds. However, we have not yet secured participants from the Maldives and Afghanistan from the SAARC nations.
How has the preparation been going? What are the challenges and who are other supporting organizers for this event?
The Nepalese Society for Children’s Literature, along with Nepal Academy, are the main organizers of this event. During the preparation journey, we were initially uncertain about the number of foreign participants. Their accommodations posed another challenge. As our preparations progressed, we received well wishes and support from various organizations. Recently, Room to Read Nepal, an organization dedicated to literacy and girls’ education, joined us as a co-organizer for this historic project. Additionally, Pahilo Pahila online, International Nepali Literature Society (INLS), Thang Foundation from the Netherlands, and some individuals are cooperating with us for the event. We are still reaching out to other organizations for assistance. The two-day festival is scheduled for Ashoj 4 and 5 (September 20 and 21) at Nepal Academy. We are almost prepared with the theoretical aspects of the event and are now working on the technical and managerial parts. We have also formed four different sub-committees for the event: the Event Management Committee under Mahesh Paudyal, the Advertising Committee under Ananta Wagle, the Hospitality Committee under Anuradha, and the Financial Committee under Bhola Kumar Shrestha. Our final preparations, such as ID cards, badges, certificates, and tokens of appreciation, are underway. We are also planning to publish a book comprising the collection of worksheets prepared by the participants. We will likely host a press conference in the first week of Bhadra to announce the upcoming conference to the literary community.
As the General Secretary of NESCHIL, which is the main organizer of the event, and also as the member secretary of the steering committee of the event, how excited are you and your team about upholding the event?
I am personally very excited, and my entire team shares this excitement. I have set aside all my regular work to fully concentrate on this project. Our team, including all sub-committees, is in full gear as the event day approaches. We are making every effort to ensure this event is a grand success. Nepal Academy, NESCHIL and its life members, Room to Read, and other co-organizers are all eager to accomplish this ambitious project.
What is the ultimate purpose of doing this Conference?
No country can be culturally prosperous without a reading culture and flourishing literature. The core purpose of this conference is to promote children’s literature by encouraging a reading culture, particularly among children, who are the future stewards of society. We will also exchange innovative ideas and experiences regarding the development of children’s literature with our foreign attendees. We hope the event will be a milestone for the further development of children’s literature in Nepal.
Finally, any message to our readers?
Since this is the first time we are hosting such a grand international event on children’s literature, we have seen many literary enthusiasts eager to participate. However, as we are prepared to accommodate only 150 participants, I urge those interested to complete the registration procedures as early as possible. We also wholeheartedly welcome any organizations and media groups that wish to align with us in accomplishing this much-anticipated project.
Thank you for your time amid your busy schedule, Sir. Best wishes for the upcoming event.
Thank you indeed for allowing me to share my ideas.
