Introduction by the Consul General of India, Sydney, Mr Manish Gupta
Heartiest congratulations to Sharon Rundle, Indranil Halder and all authors who have contributed wonderful stories in Agathokakological Aussie Summer Mosaic.
Sharon has been active in the India Australian literary space. This book, coming soon after the recent release of “Glass Walls: Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia”, reflects her passion to contribute to the multicultural mosaic of India and Australia.
Stories from diverse cultures are riveting. They can be transformational. They provide deep insights into interplay of human emotions, arts, and cultural subtleties. They capture the zeitgeist of the prevailing times and are living bridges connecting two cultures.. They make a fascinating read when they are cross cultural. For societies as diverse and multicultural as in India and Australia, these interactions are bound to be mesmerizing. Simone de Bedauvoir had once said, “A foreign country can best be understood through its literature”.
Agathokakological Aussie Summer Mosaic has come out in times of the COVID pandemic, a once-in-a-century crisis. Disruption is the new normal this year. Our lives are upended. On the better side, we have got time to pause for a while and rediscover our inner self. This adversity has spawned new creativity. People are reading and writing more for comfort, leisure, or distraction. Literature emerging in these times would certainly be exceptional and remarkable for posterity.
People-to-people contacts are the bedrock of India-Australia relations. Cricket, Commonwealth and Curry are often touted as much vaunted commonalities. Now, they run much deeper. Rapidly growing Indian Australian community has given rise to intersection of diverse ideas founding resonance in both countries and bringing them closer.
Summer is time when Australians live life to the fullest in the lap of nature. I am confident that celebration of Aussie Summer in this beautiful collection of stories will make a fascinating read for the readers. It will expose them to shades of Aussie life and landscape in an exquisite manner. This beautiful collection is a valuable contribution to our literary linkages. It will also bring up new imaginative ideas, foster budding talent and enrich the literary space of our multicultural societies.
Consul General of India, Sydney, Mr Manish Gupta
In this Story Mosaic Image, links to the stories are embedded in stars.
