We got in talks with Dr Vilpa Patel, a global citizen who just happens to have a Doctorate in Pharmacy, Diploma in Filmmaking, Certification in Yoga Instruction, and a passion for world cultures, food, technology and all things performing arts. Currently she is in Ahmedabad and involved in a cause that she deeply care about: The spreading of education through literature. She is part of the core organising committee of the Ahmedabad International Literature Festival (http://www.ailf.co.in/) and with her outside-the-box thinking skills making AILF 2016 as one of the best International Literature Festival in Ahmedabad.
Excerpts from our talk below
Q. Dr Vilpa, please tell us about yourself?
A: I am an Indian-American residing in Gujarat, India these days. I have a Doctorate in Pharmacy and am passionate about many causes one of which is education. Currently working on organizing the 1st annual Ahmedabad International Literature Festival (AILF) which aims to target the “youngistan” of the city. Needless to say literature and education go hand in hand and we are hoping to push the boundaries of learning as much as possible for the youth.
Q. What are your thoughts on Literature?
A. Before continuing this conversation on the Literature Festival, I’d like to leverage a brilliant point that Drs Simon and Delyse Ryan of Australian Catholic University have raised to clarify the meaning of literature:
“The quest to discover a definition for "literature" is a road that is much travelled, though the point of arrival, if ever reached, is seldom satisfactory. Most attempted definitions are broad and vague, and they inevitably change over time. In fact, the only thing that is certain about defining literature is that the definition will change. Concepts of what is literature change over time as well.”
Having said that, there still is a general belief that literature is bound to pen and paper. I respectfully disagree with this as literature’s purpose is to pass on knowledge. The medium could be anything, really. Pen, paper, oral stories, songs, advertisements, art, drama.. you name it. The world began with oral traditions of storytelling and this is how the pearls of wisdom still exist thousands of years later. How do you think the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvad Geeta and the Vedas were passed on?
Literature falls under the umbrella of education in that you can find topics ranging from Philosophy, Political Science, History, Science, Nature and much more within the pages of a book, oral traditions, visuals etc It allows one to live vicariously, and inherit knowledge through the interpretations of the author. Through these we have an idea of how the Victorian times may have been, how the American Indians lived, how the middle-east evolved and how east-asia came about to the current times.
As far as India is concerned, a friend says it’s a planet on its own with 29 different countries. That’s how vastly diverse and rich in culture this beautiful nation is. And it is within the pages of past and current literature that our youth will continue to learn about India and the diversity that makes her so strong. It will connect them with people from the South, North, East and West with a better level of understanding. This country is one of the youngest in the world with tremendous intellectual resource and if we don’t invest in the future of the young then we won’t be doing them justice. We won’t be doing the world around us justice.
As the Native American saying goes, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
Q. What inspired you to take up ALIF?
A. Behind this inspiration is an awareness and not an idea. I am an individual who remains alert about causes that involve my passion, help me grow, and allow me to pay it forward. As I was new to India, I was meeting many individuals from vastly different backgrounds. During one such meetings, I came across Mr Umashankar Yadav (now the director of AILF), who I got to know better over a short period of time. During many of our conversations, I noticed we share a love for literature and education. After many such casual and formal discussions, one thing led to another and we actively brought AILF from the concept phase to execution.
I come from a family where one of my grandfathers was a successful businessman and a fourth grade drop-out, but he still insisted on college education for his children. It is because of this universal belief in the family, we succeeded in the United States. On the other hand, my other grandfather was an I.A.S officer, a dual degree college graduate who also believed in the power of education for both males and females. I was always consistently made aware of the importance of education.
I grew up hearing stories of how my grandfather brought the family out of poverty with the help of college degrees. He was a voracious reader and had unending knowledge about the worlds afar. As far as my grandmothers are concerned, they weren’t educated much as the girl child was not afforded this luxury during their times.
Though a college graduate himself, my father worked 2 jobs at one point so that he can ensure a good education for me. My parents also insisted that I learn Gujarati and Hindi. I credit Jankalyan, a Gujarati magazine, for exposing me to the vast knowledge of the world at a young age. Not only did I learn about other cultures but also the Gujarati culture through this magazine. This is what helped me bond with my grandmother on a different level. This magazine is a fantastic example of what literature can do. It can create bridges between different generations and cultures.
Once again, behind this inspiration is an awareness and not an idea. Every step of my life has been a constant awareness of the power of education.
Education and literature is a gift that keeps on giving. It can change the fate of families for generations to come. How beautiful is that?
Q.How has your journey of mastering your endeavours been?
A. The journey started a long while back when I taught an uneducated girl how to read the clock, when I became an instructor cum mentor to the first year students in my University, when I became a mentor to youth with incarcerated parents, when I taught Gujarati to the Indian-American youth in the USA, when I helped set up Bone-Marrow donation drives to educate the South Asian population on its relevance, when I was the Social Media Marketing lead for an Education Foundation that was investing in the girl-child, when I gave a lecture at a Women’s conference in New York City on “Kshama Virasya Bhushanam”, or when I set up a sold-out discussion over the showing of Girl Rising.
These days I am working on the biggest endeavor thus far, The Ahmedabad International Literature Festival
Q. Tell us more about ALIF?
A. I am honoured to be working on such an important cause that looks to bring about change in the city of 7.5 million people. It’s not any different than what I have done so far in terms of imparting knowledge. It’s just bigger, it’s in the 7th largest metro in India and with a passionate team of fantastic people. In this case, the journey in itself is my destination…
AILF is involving many youth by giving them a platform to showcase their talent, such as the Jharokha Literature Club from Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University with an interesting concept of Open Canvas, poetry group Povera etc. The youth at educational institutions such as Gujarat Law Society, IIM-Ahmedabad, and others will participate in Ahmedabad’s first ever poetry slam that will be held at AILF.
The “older” and professional population of the city also has been roped in to start a conversation. I just organized the first of its kind Oral Literature event that was held on October the 16th . It was an opening event for AILF and titled “The Changemakers: Oral Literature and Storytelling” where leaders of 5 different industries gathered and shared knowledge about their respective fields. Dr Meera Ramnivas (IPS, ADGP, Human Rights Commission of Gujarat and author), Hridaynath Gharekhan (Presidential National Award winner for best director, ex-Doordarshan producer), Arthur Duff (Appointed professor and Area Chair for furniture design, CEPT University), Ms Mittal Patel (Trustee, V.S.S.M. trust, CNN-IBN “Real Heroes” awardee, Ashoka Fellow) and Mr Abhay Mangaldas (Founder/Director House of MG and Trustee at Shreyas Education Foundation) showed their support by sharing their knowledge at the event. Some of the most prominent people of Ahmedabad from vastly different industries such as government, higher education, construction, fashion, art, health and more were present in the audience to support the cause.
The idea was to have this opening event break the misconception that literature is bound to pen and paper. Even oral tales are a form of literature that pass on knowledge.
Did you know there’s a book that has compiled poems and short stories from all levels of police personnel that shares their feelings? Did you know there are groups of people in Gujarat that celebrate Holi by throwing vegetables at each other? Do you know what the historical connections between India and Ireland are? Did you know that the so called Nomadic tribes would rather have a stable home? Did you know perception can also be considered literature? The audience at the event walked away with these answers without turning a page in a book and just listening to oral literature by the Changemakers in the greater Ahmedabad community. Once again, I want to stress literature is not just bound to pen and paper.
Last but certainly not the least, stay tuned for another AILF event that I am organizing which will be supported by UBER along with the biggest names in the city of Ahmedabad. Scheduled to be held on November 5th, it’s a surprise that will be revealed soon.
We are open to inspire and be inspired. As AILF aims to be more and more international with passing years, I believe this quote from the Rigveda (1.89.1) does pure justice to the knowledge that will be shared during the festival.
a no bhadrah kratavo yantu visvatah (Let noble and good thoughts come from everywhere, from all the world.)
And a play on words with a famous Robert Frost quote sums up our journey: “…Miles to go before we sleep. And miles to go before we sleep.”
(All of the above events are working towards creating a buzz for the main festival which will be held on November 12th and the 13th. Be sure to like the Ahmedabad International Literature Festival facebook page for more details. If you or anyone within your circle would be interested in attending the event, please do REGISTER FREE at www.ailf.co.in
But wait, it doesn’t end here, we aim to continuously be active while working towards the 2nd annual AILF in 2017. We would like to leverage the voices of thought leaders, education leaders and literature enthusiasts to further spread awareness for “youngistan.” )