Poets conferred at TPWAW conference

The ongoing fourth general conference of the Traditional Poetry Writers Association of the World (TPWAW) honored three poets on Tuesday. On the first day of the two-day event, poets Sita Ram Adhikari, Bhuwan Hari Sigdel, and Prahlad Pokharel were conferred with the Yew Suhng-Gyou Literary Award.

They were awarded by the President of TPWAW, Kim Bong-Goon, on the recommendation of the TPWAW Nepal Chapter for the poets’ achievements in publishing around a dozen books about literature, including traditional poetry, over the decades.

President Kim and the President of the Nepal Chapter, Ram Kumar Panday, jointly inaugurated the conference by illuminating the traditional Panas lamp. The inauguration ceremony featured chanting of veda/swasti verses along with shankha dwani and mangal dhoon.

Presidents of member countries—Hoon Kim (Canada), Li Wen-Hua (China), Kang Jung-Hi (Germany), Choi Soonn-Hyang (South Korea), Sun Hwa Griffiths (UK), and Kim Ki-Sook (USA)—delivered congratulatory speeches for conducting the general conference.

Additionally, there were paper presentations on the analysis of the beauty of Chinese traditional poetry by Guang Shao-Kui, Korean traditional poetry (sijo) by Kim Bong-Goon, an introduction to the tradition of humor poems in Nepal by Ram Kumar Panday, and sonnets by Toony Peek (UK).

Further, there were poetry symposiums, art-crafts, and artifacts exhibitions, musical performances, and book exhibitions. Dr Mitra Bandhu Poudel, General Secretary of the TPWAW Nepal Chapter, delivered the vote of thanks.

Participants from member countries are also scheduled to visit Kathmandu, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Pashupati World Heritage Site, and the Bouddhanath Stupa.

The two-day event will conclude on Wednesday with a closing ceremony and the distribution of awards and certificates.

TPWAW, initially formed through collaboration between China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, the UK, and the USA, saw South Korea take the initiative in promoting traditional poetry globally in 2007. Nepal joined the association later in 2013.

The series of international conferences began in 2013 in South Korea, followed by events in China in 2016 and the UK in 2019.

In addition to Panday as the President and Dr Poudel as General Secretary of the Nepal Chapter, the executive committee includes Dr Ram Bahadur Jitali and Dr Yadav Prasad Dhungana as Vice-presidents, Kishor Bajra Bajracharya as Treasurer, and Sita Ram Adhikari, Shiromani Dawadi, Ashok Man Shingh, and Shanti Sapkota as members.