Literary works, especially books, connect in a much better way with people, especially those who apart from looking for facts, like to delve deep into things of their interest. In order to cater to the demands of such people, ‘Colours of Refuge’, an anthology dedicated to the cause of refugees, was launched at Civil Services Officers Institute in the national Capital on January 28.
The book launch took place amidst luminaries from the field of photography, poetry and arts. The event was graced by luminaries such as Padma Shri Raghu Rai-the doyen of photography, as chief guest, William Tall, UNHCR Head of Mission in India and Maldives, celebrated Urdu poet and lyricist Farhat Shazad and renowned Hindi poet Dr Sita Sagar as guests of honour.
Artists Unplugged, a diverse and dynamic poetry group on Facebook comprises of poets and artists from all over the globe, sharing a common penchant and vibe called ‘expression’ through poetry, prose, art and/or photography.
‘Colours of Refuge’ was born as a bi-lingual (Hindi and English) international anthology featuring poems, short stories, nano fiction(55ers), art and photographs of budding and established poets, writers, artists and photographers from all over the world coming together for this noble cause of demanding refuge for all humans irrespective of regional borders, races, genders, faiths and also age.
The ‘Colours of Refuge’ offers a rare kaleidoscope of hope in the form of upholding the basic human dignity of refuge. This anthology bears testimony to the fact that not only has social media opened up new vistas for both budding and seasoned poets and artists, it also offers great reassurance that even in this hectic, selfish modern age of high-tech living, poets, writers, artists, photographers and even the publisher can join hands for an altruist cause. The anthology features works of some celebrated masters such as Jayanta Mahapatra, the Grandfather of Indian English Poetry and Padamshree Raghu Rai, the doyen of photography, Naseer Ahmed Nasir, Pakistan and Farhat Shazad, Pakistan-USA, both acclaimed Urdu poets.