Language and literature are not property of one faith: Debrito

Language and literature should not be associated with any religion or caste, Father Francis Debrito, president of the 93rd All India Marathi Literary Meet, said here on Friday.

Debrito, known for his writings as well as his environmental activism, also expressed concern about ecological degradation during his presidential address.

"Language and literature are not a personal property of any faith," he said.

"Marathi has a very rich literary tradition. We all have to add to that tradition," he said.

In an indirect reference to the recent incident of violence at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Debrito said when "hatred grips the people in power, there is no future for the country".

"Are we supposed to give degrees from universities or beat up the students?" he asked.

"Hold your holy book in one hand and the Constitution in the other," he said.

He also expressed concern over the declining reading culture in society, blaming the present education system as well as the government's apathy towards public libraries.

Talking about the environment, he appealed that felling of trees must stop.

Earlier, well-known Marathi poet N D Mahanor said in his inaugural speech that writers and poets are above caste and religion.

There have been several Muslim and Christian Marathi writers, he said, citing names such as Amar Shaikh, U M Pathan and Laxmibai Tilak.