BHUBANESWAR: In the wake of controversy over the release of Hindi feature film 'Padmaavat' illustrated author Ruskin Bond said freedom of expression should not be absolute."I don't think freedom of speech should be absolute. We should consider ourselves lucky to live in this country. There is no better place to live than India," said Bond replying to a query on creative freedom and the controversial film during an interactive session at Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet here on Friday. "Shall I like to live in China, shall I live in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Syria, Lebanon or some other country, definitely not," said Bond.The iconic writer expressed happiness over the growing trend of so many young people making writing as their profession. "It is an amazing trend. I am really happy that young people are not only writing poetry, novel, fiction, non-fiction but they are also getting it published. But I must say it is not as easy as it sounds," he added. He advised youngsters to respect the language they write, put words together in interesting ways, work hard, be regular and be prepared for occasional disappointments.Hundreds of enthusiast youths and passionate readers thronged the literary fest and listened to their favourite authors, got their books signed and interacted with them during the three day literary meet that began on Thursday.Renowned bilingual writer Manoj Das described 'creative inspiration' as a rare moment that strikes writers. "Creative inspiration is something which cannot be described in words. When the inspiration strikes you whatever you write becomes great literature and has the power to influence many."While interacting with youngsters, Das talked about the importance of understanding the beauty of language and all its nuances. He also expressed concern over today's youth losing their 'creativity sensitivity' to 'mechanical life'. "Today's youth are living in the machines as a result creative inspiration among them is slowly dying. The machines human beings created for their help are subsequently killing them. There is a way to come out of it and that is by reconfirming our trust on India's rich tradition and heritage," Das said.Youngters were seen queued up to get their books signed and take photographs with their favourite authors. "I always think how I and my father and my grandfather enjoy, amaze, get influenced in the same way by reading one single story. And I am very much sure my son and grandson will also love the same story. This is the magic of Manoj Das and I am so lucky to listen to him," said Aparna Das , a college student.Poets Nia Davies and Mamta Sagar recited their respective poems in their own languages of English and Kannada respectively proving music has no language. Acclaimed writer Kiran Nagarkar joined writer Prayaag Akbar explored their visions of dystopias, both present and in the future, and how they have captured them in their works.The latter half focused on Odia literature and the importance of promoting the Odia language. The session highlighted how the nation is predominantly pluralistic in its use of language, rather than multilingual. Renowned Odiya author Pratibha Satpathy and her daughter, the writer Paramita Satpathy discussed inheritance of the 'writing gene'.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.