+

8TH KALINGA LITERARY FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN BHUBANESWAR FROM 10-12 DECEMBER

The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) is back with its 8th edition to invigorate, educate, provoke and entertain as well. Around 300 celebrities from the worlds of literature, cinema, media and politics will assemble in the temple city of Odisha to deliberate on the theme of “India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters”, at the […]

The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) is back with its 8th edition to invigorate, educate, provoke and entertain as well. Around 300 celebrities from the worlds of literature, cinema, media and politics will assemble in the temple city of Odisha to deliberate on the theme of “India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters”, at the KLF in Bhubaneswar, from 10 to 12 December 2021.

After a full year of waiting, KLF 2021 will once again open its arms to literature lovers and audiences in the temple city Bhubaneswar, we will celebrate the 75 years of India’s Independence with literature, debate, discussion, discourse and performance.

KLF is well known for its socially relevant themes and in a way compels all ‘creative’ people to think and articulate ‘the contemporary’. Like its past editions the KLF this year also has a hard-hitting theme for writers, poets and artists to ponder on. The central theme focuses on “India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters”. Several sessions on different themes will connect to the central theme.

CENTRAL THEME: INDIA AT 75: COMMEMORATING THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS

During the struggle for India’s independence, when we were pitted against the might of the British Empire, and the future appeared to be bleak, Bal Gangadhar Tilak had memorably said: ‘Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it’.

75 years down the line, the nation has preserved its hard-earned freedom; its Republican values, based on rights and responsibilities, have been the hallmark of a vibrant nation with its cherished goals of cultural diversity and social equity. An example that is second to none in the entire world, a work-in-progress worthy of admiration and emulation!

Nowhere is the idea of India as a living Being more manifest with greater strength and visibility than in the realm of literature and cultures of the land. The Mahotsav we wish to host will enhance inter-action, and promote mutual understanding, between people of different regions, culinary, costume and dress habits, faiths, persuasions and lifestyles across the length and breadth of the country, through interactions among language and learning, tangible as well as intangible cultures and heritage– paving way for what the critic Patrick J. Hill aptly calls ‘a conversation of respect’ among diverse people.

India writes in many languages and speaks in many more voices. In order to promote deeper inclusivity across the nation, our language, folklore, the ‘Marga’ and the ‘Deshi’ traditions, will be showcased in the festival. The regions will have their pride of place, along with the province and the metropolis.

Over the last 75 years, India has grown exponentially across all sectors. The Mahotsav will build upon our strengths and limitations, challenges and opportunities. These could be explored cogently through the medium of debates and dialogues, the fittest way we could pay a tribute to our motherland, a nation on the move.

KLF has emerged as one of the leading literary platforms in India, attracting both experienced and young litterateurs. Bigger than ever before, the eighth edition of the festival will bring nationally and internationally acclaimed names on one platform to discuss, debate and explore commonalities in the diverse voices in literature. The three-day festival will cover several dimensions of the interconnections between Literature, freedom, Republican values, cultural diversity, and social equity.

The key sessions will be on topics such as democracy, cultural nationalism, Generation Y, Indian Languages, publishing industry, mythology, Media, Market, Children, Women, Transgender, Citizen Engagement, Cinema, Sports, Ethics, Discrimination, Revolutions, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, and Harmony. There will be several one-to-one sessions with leading experts on the subjects. There will be storytelling sessions that promise to add new flavour to the literary spirit of the festival. Three special sessions will be held on textile and literature.

Apart from this, more than 30 new books and monographs will be released during the three-day festival. The delegates and speakers of KLF will have a unique opportunity to participate in Heritage Walk called Mystic Walk and participate in plantation and Mystic Mic. In order to expand the opportunity for the delegates, the KLF team has partnered with local cycle clubs to provide cycles for speakers to roam around the smart city and experience the blend of ancient heritage and modern urban planning. A dedicated platform, Kalinga Art Festival provides a unique platform for artists to showcase their talent and connect their art to the central theme of the festival.

Writers, poets, speakers and performers likely to join the festival are: Arun Kamal, Alka Saraogi, Mamta Kalia, Arunava Sinha, Pratibha Ray, Sitakant Mahapatra, Ramakanta Rath, Santanu Kumar Acharya, Haldhar Nag, Namita Gokhale, Malashri Lal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Divya Dutta , Amar Pattnaik, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Gulzar, Sandeep Bamzai, Jairam Ramesh, Basant Chaudhary, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Jayanta Mohapatra, Tarana Husain Khan, Ashok Kaul, Satish Padmanabhan, Santosh Singh, Yatish Kumar, Vibha Rani, Dr Krishna Mohan Thakur, Priya Sahgal, Gautam Chintamani, Shantanu Datta, Sabin Iqbal, Shirish Khare, Perumal Murugan, Nandini Krishnan, Meena Iyer, Tamal Bandyopadhyay, Zorawar Daulet Singh, Shekhar Pathak, Guru Prakash Paswan, Shafey Kidwai, Yatindra Mishra, Rasheed Kidwai, Ruchira Chaudhary, Ranjit Rae, Prof. Prabhkar Singh, Vyomesh Shukla, Balendu Diwedi, Anushakti Singh, Sekhar Pathak , Arun Maheswari , Abhay Mishra, Rajdeep Saradesai, Rama Pandey, Bishnu N Mohapatra, Sachidananda Mohanty, Priya Kapoor, Swati Chopra, Vaishali Mathur, Aditi Maheshwari,Vikarant Pande, Rishabh Kothari, Trisha De Niyogi, Prof. Banibrata Mahanta, Shobha Shrma, Kaveree Bamzai, Ameya Prabhu, Sai Swaooropa Iyer, Vikram Sampath, Atul Thakur, Anindita Ghose , Meena K Iyer, Puja Changoiwala, Anu Chaudhary, Debasis Samantray, Ranjan Mallick, Rohit Supkar , Shibani Sibal, Yugal Joshi, Neha Sinha, others will tell the story(ies) of life, society and the world and will also provide a future perspective on the topics of discussion.

Four awards in literature will be conferred in the following categories:

i. Kalinga Literary Award (for a distinguished writer in Odia),

ii. Kalinga International Literary Award (for a writer in any global language),

iii. Kalinga Karubaki Literary Award (for women writers) and

iv. Kalinga Literary Youth Award (for a young writer in any global language)

Rashmi Ranjan Parida, the founder-director of KLF said, “KLF 2021 returns with the promise of hope and optimism. Our return emphasises resilience and the spirit of rising. We are delighted to bring back the joy of the literary spirit to the temple city Bhubaneswar. We welcome our delegates and performers and look towards a great festival amidst all safety protocols.”

Kalinga Art Festival, an exclusive art segment has been designed to showcase the best of the creations of contemporary artists. In its fifth year, the Art Festival attracts young male and female artists from Bhubaneswar, Odisha and from the national capital. There will be a cultural program to showcase India’s art, culture and literature on each day of the three-day program.HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Central Theme: India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters

2. More than 300 Speakers, poets, musicians, artists and performers to join

3. Innovative sessions on Ram Katha, poetry recitation, short story, lyrics

4. Kalinga Art Festival to showcase works of 60 artists from Odisha and India

5. Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) Book Awards to 49 writers

6. Three prestigious awards will be conferred

7. More than 30 national and international books/publications to be released

8. Three sessions on textile and literature

Tags: