Gouri Shankar urges poets to pen more about national integration

Hyderabad: Telangana Sahitya Akademi chairman Juluru Gowri Shankar on Sunday said that the progressive thinkers, writers and poets should write in large about national integration and religious tolerance, stating it as the need of the hour. He inaugurated the national level Telangana Poetry Festival at P V Narasimha Rao Veterinary University and said, "Unless we preserve the national integrity of our country, there would be chaos leading to a termination of development".

Telangana has been flourishing in all fields since its formation, added Gowri and said that the poets played a significant role during the Telangana agitation, winning laurels from people from all across the world.

"Poetry is a medium through which we convey our lofty ideals in a befitting manner. I am hopeful that all the poets who have assembled here can contribute to the gorgeous growth of our country," he said. Stating that during the freedom struggle, Rabindranath Tagore had written the National Anthem to foster unity among people to achieve Independence, he said the present poets should take inspiration from Tagore and write in a similar fashion to maintain the national integrity in the country. The present generation of writers should pen a new kind of inspiring poems to inspire not only the youth, but also the leaders, Gouri Shankar said. He said the Telangana Poetry Forum is conducting country-wide poetry festival after a gap of two years on account of the Covid-19 lockdown.