Speaking on the theme of 'Arts/Literature as Healing', Ashvin spoke about his journey across film, literature and music whilst drawing attention to the role of arts in foregrounding oppressed and marginalised communities.
He said (excerpt):
'The most urgent conundrum of our current time is to question the nature of our own complicity through collective amnesia, apathy and silence in the face of the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Can we place our collective global planetary future in the microcosmic context of the genocide in Gaza that is happening under our watch? I think healing is relative. It must prioritise those most desperately in need. In a world ravaged by ‘war fever’, it is more important than ever for us to not become desensitised to the suffering of the most vulnerable amongst us. The genocide taking place before our eyes in Gaza sounds an urgent clarion call to stem the flow of the global arms trade. If we think of literature as an instrument of healing – then to achieve peace – surely the pen should be applied persuasively to prove that the pen is truly mightier than the sword. The histories of violence and the ghosts of past genocides are playing out presently, right now, as we speak, in real time, in Palestine. If ever healing was needed at a crucial time, it is there. And it is now that we all have a collective responsibility to act, to bear witness and to speak truth to power.'
