Sangam House International Exchange
Varuna recently held its inaugural international exchange in partnership with Sangam House. Two First Nations Australian writers, Ali Cobby Eckermann and Merinda Dutton, collaborated with two Indian Adivasi writers, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and Beni Yanthan, to spend time together both at Varuna and The Jamum in Bengaluru (Bangalore).
In India, all four writers were welcomed by Ms. Hilary McGeachy, Australian Consul-General in Bengaluru, at a reception attended by over 50 dignitaries, including many Bengaluru writers and poets. Ali Cobby Eckermann and Merinda Dutton also presented at several events in Bengaluru, including the National Law School, and visited a tribal ommunity at Nagarhole, where the struggle to claim ancestral land rights has been running for over 50 years.
Ali Cobby Eckermann commented about her experience: "The distance from Australia allowed me to reflect on what I love about my Country and my culture, and these reflections became very present in my writing."
"In India, they value literature differently. Literature isn’t seen as the poor cousin of the arts. The community really supports these kinds of cultural exchanges, and are willing to share a lot of wisdom. When grassroots and academia can sit side by side, that is a wonderful thing. "
Varuna is grateful to DFAT for their funding of this initiative, and are talking to partners so that this exchange can continue in the future.
