Kalinga Literary Festival: 8th edition to be held in Bhubaneswar from 10-12 Dec

The Kalinga Literary Festival is back with its 8th edition to invigorate, educate, provoke and entertain. Around 300 celebrities from the worlds of literature, cinema, media and politics will assemble in Odisha to deliberate on the theme of “India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters”, at the Kalinga Literature Festival in Bhubaneswar, from 10-12 December. Rashmi Ranjan Parida, the founder director of KLF said that , “Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) 2021 returns with the promise of hope and optimism. Our return emphasises resilience and the spirit of rise. We are delighted to bring back the joy of literary spirit to the temple city Bhubaneswar. We welcome our delegates and performers and look towards a great festival amidst all safety protocols.” The KLF has emerged as one of the leading literary platforms in India, attracting both experienced and young litterateurs. The eighth edition of the festival will bring together 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 among literature, freedom, republican values, cultural diversity and social equity. Key sessions will be held on topics such as democracy, cultural nationalism, Generation Y, Indian Languages, pub- lishing industry, mythology, media, market, children, women, transgender, citizen engagement, cinema, sports, ethics, discrimination, revolutions, peace building, conflict resolution and harmony. There will be several one-to-one sessions with leading experts on the subjects. Story-telling sessions will add a new flavour to the literary spirit of the festival. Three special session 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 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. Four prestigious awards in literature will be conferred in the following categories — Kalinga Literary Award (for a distinguished writer in Odia), Kalinga International Literary Award (for a writer in any global language), Kalinga Karubaki Literary Award (for women writers) and Kalinga Literary Youth Award (for a young writer in any global language). Writers, poets, speakers and performers likely to join the festival include Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Divya Dutta, Amar Pattnaik, Gulzar, Jairam Ramesh and Perumal Murugan. The KLF was started in 2014 with the aim of promoting Odia language, literature, and culture. The festival has been founded by journalist-writer Rashmi Ranjan Parida. Other team members include Prachee Naik and Sitansu Mahapatra.