Fifth Edition of Shri Kshetra National Literary Festival Concludes in Bhubaneswar
Fifth Edition of Shri Kshetra National Literary Festival Concludes at Gita Govinda Bhavan and Jayadev Bhavan, Bhubaneswar
By Our Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 4: The fifth edition of the Shri Kshetra National Literary Festival (S.N.L.F.) concluded successfully on September 27 in Bhubaneswar, bringing together a vibrant congregation of poets, writers, translators, storytellers, academicians and literary enthusiasts from across India. Held over two days, September 26 and 27, at Gita Govinda Bhavan and Jayadev Bhavan, the festival emerged as a significant multilingual literary platform, celebrating the diversity of Indian languages while highlighting the underlying unity of the country’s literary and cultural spirit.
More than 100 poets and writers representing a wide range of Indian languages participated in the festival. Writers and literary personalities from different linguistic and cultural traditions came together to share their creative expressions, exchange ideas and explore contemporary concerns surrounding literature, translation and storytelling. The presence of both senior and young writers gave the festival a distinctive intergenerational character.
A major attraction of the festival was the Multilingual Poetry Recital Session, in which poets from Assam, Bengal, Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Odia, Sambalpuri, Telugu and Urdu recited their poems in their respective mother tongues. The session offered the audience an opportunity to experience the richness, rhythm and cultural nuances of India’s diverse linguistic traditions. The recital also reinforced the festival’s central spirit that linguistic diversity can become a bridge for cultural dialogue rather than a barrier.
Festival Director Dr Phani Mohanty emphasised the intrinsic unity underlying India’s multilingual literary heritage. He observed that India has always been a multilingual and multicultural civilisation and that every Indian language possesses its own beauty, sweetness, vitality and distinctive cultural identity. According to him, although India speaks in many languages, the emotional and cultural soul of Indian literature remains one. He stressed the importance of mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation among Indian languages rather than allowing one language to dominate another.
The inaugural proceedings featured the release of a special issue of the literary magazine ‘Shabda Brahma’, while the colourful literary magazine ‘Batayan’ was also ceremonially released. The releases added a significant literary dimension to the inaugural session and provided a platform for contemporary literary voices from different linguistic backgrounds.
The festival also featured two important intellectual sessions under the broad theme “Sensitivity and Soul.” One of the sessions focused on “Is Story Writing Meant for Beauty or Responsibility?” and was moderated by eminent Maithili novelist and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Pradeep Bihari. Renowned writers and storytellers, including Prakash Mahapatra, Prof. Sudhir Joshi, Prasanna Kumar, Rajib Phukan and others, participated in the discussion and explored the aesthetic, ethical and social dimensions of storytelling.
Another major session addressed the highly contemporary topic “Translator versus Artificial Intelligence.” The session was moderated by Prof. Chittaranjan Bhoi of KISS Deemed to be University and generated a lively discussion on the changing landscape of translation in the age of artificial intelligence. Eminent translators, poets and literary personalities participated in the conversation, reflecting on the role of human sensitivity, cultural understanding, creativity and linguistic nuance in translation.
The session witnessed active participation from several distinguished women translators and writers, including Bitasta Ghosal, Shyamali Sengupta, Sutapa Saha, Barnali Sharma, Rachana, Anima Das and others. Their participation, along with that of literary personalities such as Prof. Sudhir Joshi, Dinesh Mali, Sanjaya Borude and Vikramaditya Singh, President of the Odisha Branch of the Vishwa Hindi Parishad, made the discussion particularly vibrant and wide-ranging.
The festival reflected India’s linguistic plurality through the participation of literary voices from several regions. Bengali writers and translators Bitasta Ghosal, Shyamali Sengupta and Sutapa Saha, Assamese poets Barnali Sharma and Rajib Phukan, Nepali poets Udaya Thulung and Pramila Mukhia, Sanskrit poet Sakhi Gopal, Marathi literary voices Sanjaya Borude and Rachana, Rajasthani poet Dinesh Mali, along with numerous Odia writers and poets, participated in different sessions. Their presence transformed the festival into a genuine meeting ground of India’s literary cultures.
A significant highlight of the two-day festival was the release of more than twenty translated books, along with several books representing different genres of Odia literature. The releases celebrated the role of translation in carrying literary works beyond linguistic boundaries and creating new readerships across India. Among the notable works released was ‘Bharat Ratna Ke Dawedar: Pabitra Mohan Pradhan’, along with a translated work based on the immortal composition ‘Stuti Chintamani’ by the renowned Nirguna saint-poet Bhima Bhoi of Odisha. The translated work has also been receiving wider circulation through a YouTube channel.
The festival also witnessed the participation of several distinguished literary figures, including Padma Shri Devi Prasanna Patnaik, bilingual poets Ashwini Kumar and Subodh Sarkar, noted Hindi poet Narendra Pundarik, eminent Odia critic Prafulla Kumar Mahanti, and Vikramaditya Singh, President of the Odisha Branch of the Vishwa Hindi Parishad and a noted Hindi poet and writer.
Vikramaditya Singh, in his address, highlighted the unity underlying India’s linguistic diversity and remarked that “India has many languages, but their soul is one.” His poetic presentation received an enthusiastic response from the audience and became one of the memorable moments of the festival.
The festival also gave considerable space to women writers and translators, whose participation enriched the discussions and literary sessions. Their confident articulation of ideas and creative perspectives added another important dimension to the festival. The presence of both established and emerging women literary creators reflected the expanding role of women in India’s contemporary literary landscape.
The successful organisation of the festival was the result of months of preparation and collective effort. Dr Satyabrat Jena, Secretary of the Shri Kshetra National Literary Festival, and Pranab Kumar Chhotray, Secretary of Sahitya Sanskriti Samaroh, stated that the programme had been conceptualised over the preceding six months with the objective of bringing people from diverse linguistic backgrounds onto a common platform and reducing linguistic differences through literature and dialogue.
Academicians, writers and literary enthusiasts who travelled from different parts of the country congratulated the organisers for creating a meaningful national literary platform that encouraged multilingual dialogue, translation and cultural exchange.
The stage proceedings were anchored by Dr Sonali Sahu, Dr Sanghamitra Raiguru and Paramita Sarangi, whose coordinated presentation contributed significantly to the energy and elegance of the festival. Dr Sonali Sahu, through her eloquence, energetic presentation and powerful command of language, added vibrancy and literary charm to the proceedings. Dr Sanghamitra Raiguru and Paramita Sarangi complemented the programme with their engaging, graceful and well-coordinated anchoring, ensuring a smooth flow throughout the two-day event.
The concluding sessions brought together the participating writers, translators, poets and literary enthusiasts in a spirit of celebration and fellowship. Jaminikanta Das proposed the vote of thanks on September 26, while Dr Saroj Mahapatra delivered the vote of thanks on September 27, formally bringing the two-day literary gathering to a close.
The fifth edition of the Shri Kshetra National Literary Festival thus concluded on a note of literary camaraderie, multilingual expression and cultural unity. By bringing together poets, storytellers, translators and writers from different linguistic traditions at Gita Govinda Bhavan and Jayadev Bhavan, the festival reaffirmed the enduring power of literature to transcend linguistic boundaries and create a shared space for India’s diverse voices.
