Women litterateurs will hold centre stage at the 10th edition of the Kalinga Literary Festival, which is to be hosted in Odisha's Bhubaneswar from February 9 to 11.
The event, which is to be inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will not only see the convergence of over 300 dignitaries including writers, intellectuals and thinkers but also the likes of novelist Nasira Sharma, former assistant secretary-general at the United Nations, Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, Nepalese academic and author Beena Poudyal and young writer Radhika Iyengar being conferred with the Kalinga Literary Awards for this year.
The event will feature celebrated author and Padma Bhushan and Jnanpith recipient, Sitakanta Mohapatra, along with fellow writers Uday Prakash, Arun Kamal, Nasira Sharma, Paramita Satapathy and Beena Poudyal. Amish Tripathi, who has many best-sellers to his credit, will also join the fest along with Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, Usha Uthup, Hindol Sengputa, Satya Vyas, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Nila Madhab Panda, Santrupta Misra, Sandeep Bamzai, and Sudharshan Pattnaik, among others.
While the event, in its 10th edition, will be centrally themed on ‘Legends of Ancient Bharat and Beyond: Inspiring Lived Experience in the 21st Century’, it will also have a second theme—’Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Literature’.
The event, which is to be hosted at Swosti Premium in Bhubaneswar, will see discussions on a range of subjects—poetry, politics, art and athletics, science, environment, mythology and mysticism.
Apart from bringing together some of the country’s finest writers and prominent figures from diverse fields, the lit fest will also feature prominent overseas speakers from Japan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. According to an official release, the participation of overseas speakers will not only lend a global flavour to the event but will also encourage a free and unfettered exchange of ideas and opinions across cultures.
The focus on linguistic representation beyond the four corners of India at this year’s event underlines the effort to showcase and celebrate languages from across the globe.
The sessions at this year’s KLF will see free-wheeling conversations and dialogue on a diverse array of topics, including democracy, digital revolution, cultural nationalism and climate justice, according to the official release.
The 10th KLF will also see publishing giants Penguin, Random House and HarperCollins Publishers India being conferred with the ‘Publishing House of the Year Award’ for “their exemplary work in fostering literary excellence and promoting inclusivity”.
The founder and director of the KLF, Rashmi Ranjan Parida, said like in previous editions, the event, this year, will celebrate literary accomplishments across generations and beyond borders.
Among the other notable dignitaries at the event will be Milee Ashwarya, Yatish Kumar, Maria Goretti, Koral Dasgupta, Nila Madhab Panda, Sudharsan Pattnaik, and Sandeep Bamzai.
The event will also see the unveiling of over 30 literary works and monographs. The festival will also present an opportunity to the delegates to explore the temple city through ‘Mystic Walks’ and cycling tours.