Three writers attend literary meet wearing Sahgal masks

Mumbai: Three poets registered their protest at the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan by wearing masks of author Nayantara Sahgal on Friday in Yavatmal. The protesters wearing these masks displayed solidarity with the author whose invite to an event was rescinded by the organisers at the opening ceremony of the all-India Marathi literary meet in Yavatmal.

Three women writers we-aring these masks and photos of the 91-year-old aut-hor on their person were asked to leave the venue by women police personnel and the masks were seized.

Addressing the meet, the 92nd Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Samme-lan, state education minister Vinod Tawde conceded that withdrawal of the invite to Sahgal had caused embarrassment to the state. Some protesters  shouted slogans while Mr   Tawde was speaking.

Laxmikant Deshmukh, outgoing president of the Sammelan, said that the Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Mahamandal, which holds the annual event, had failed to stop the organisers from rescinding the invite to Sahgal.

At a ‘parallel’ literary meet at Ambajogai in Beed district, social activist Arundhati Lohiya Patil read a Marathi translation of the speech Sahgal was scheduled to deliver while inaugurating the Yavatmal meet, which was opened by a farmer's widow instead. Vaishali Sudhakar Yede, resident of the Rajur village in Kalamb tehsil of Yavatmal, inaugurated the sammelan. She works as an anganwadi helper. Her husband committed suicide a few years ago after failing to repay debt.

Mahamandal president Shripad Joshi had invited Ms Sahgal as the chief guest and keynote speaker for the meet. The invitation was revoked on Sunday after some workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) objected it.