Printed words still a rage, say eminent Bengali authors

Printed words are still a rage among the younger generations despite being in the age of digital media, eminent litterateurs said during the inauguration of the country's first Bengali literary festival here today.
"The craze for (printed) books can never diminish. Yes there are digital platforms like wikipedia and social network which can be used to reach out to the present generation to help the cause of books," popular writer Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay said at 'Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsav'.
"Printed words and the new digital media can in fact complement each other," he said, in answer to a question if the printed books were threatened by the advent of ever increasing number of e-books.

"Look around and you will yourself find the answer. Such literary meets help us to reach out to the people we write for," said Mukhopadhyay, whose several books have been adapted for films over the years. He was surrounded by young readers for autographs after the first session of the one-day festival.
To another question, Mukhopadhyay said he mostly avoided watching films based on his books as he was stricken by the fear that his vision and thoughts may not be properly taken care of.
"Cinema and literature are in fact two different mediums and I am happy to live in my own literary world and among my readers with whom I can communicate," he said.

Eminent writer Samaresh Majumder echoed Mukhopadhyay and said he felt rejuvenated in the company of enthusiastic readers. "It is a myth that Bengali literature is on the wane."
Majumder, who usually weaves his stories in the sylvan landscape of Dooars and Jalpaiguri in north Bengal, emphasised on the change in dialect and expressions from one place to another and its reflection in literary works for the sake of authenticity.