First Peoples India-Australia Exchange in 2025
In November 2025, two Adivasi writers will travel from India for a month-long residency at Varuna the National Writers' House, Katoomba, reciprocated a few weeks later when two First Nations writers from Australia will travel to the prestigious literary residency of Sangam House in Bangalore, India. The project will include public-facing events, including a series of readings and the Lekhana literary festival in Bangalore, the Blue Mountains Writers' Festival in Katoomba, and an event during Diwali in Sydney.
This exchange has taken years to come to fruition and includes not just Varuna and Sangam House as partners, but also the First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN), consultants Dr Roanna Gonsalves and Dr Mridula Chakraborty, and the Centre for Australia-India Relations (CAIR).
As Veechi Stuart, Executive Director of Varuna said “First Nations Australian writers face many similar challenges to those faced by Adivasi writers, including marginalisation of tribal languages, the loss of oral storytelling traditions, and a lack of recognition by publishing houses. Choosing First Nations and Adivasi writers for this program offers a clear path for artistic and creative excellence.”
“The opportunity for writers to have their work discovered and hopefully published outside of Australia is incredibly significant and validating” said First Nations author Ellen van Neerven. “I can think of no better cultural ambassadors than our First Nations writers.”
The callout for this program will commence in November 2024, with the exchange taking place between October 2025 and January 2026.
Consultant, writer and academic Roanna Gonsalves, who facilitated introductions between participating organisations, said: “This international collaboration has reciprocity at its core. By facilitating First Nations Australian writers to go abroad and international First Nations writers to experience our cultures for themselves, we help to shift perceptions, and help elevate and value traditional cultures.”
Varuna is proud to be a CAIR grant recipient, and grateful for the support this organisation provides. CAIR is committed to promoting connections and practical cooperation between Australia and India.
For more information about this program, please contact Varuna the National Writers’ House at varuna@varuna.com.au or on 02 4782 5674. Or, for more information about the Centre for Australia India Relations, visit australiaindiacentre.org.au
