BHUBANESWAR: At its fourth edition to be held from January 11 to 13, 2019, Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet will be hosting an array of authors, thought leaders, opinion makers and performers. Open to all, the festival will be held at a new venue, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.
As a platform where ideas converge, TSBLM will once again explore the worlds of art, music, dance and current affairs. However, at the core of the festival lies literature and how it impacts both our cultural and everyday life.
The festival’s inaugural session in the afternoon of January 11 is on Gandhi at 150 with Sugata Bose and Jatindra Nayak discussing the Mahatma’s relationship with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. This will be followed by a session with legendary actress Waheeda Rehman’s reminisces on how she immortalised literary characters on screen.
Popular writing and comedy would also be part of the festival with best-selling writers Ravinder Singh and Vineet Bajpai as well as well-known stand-up Abijit Ganguly being at the festival.
Odia sessions to discuss Gandhi in Odisha, the legacy of Fakir Mohan Senapati a century after his demise, ‘Becoming Odia’, among other issues, will feature prominently in the festival. Padma Bhushan Ruskin Bond will speak twice at the festival, once to children and once in the concluding session.
Festival director Malavika Banerjee said, “The Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet has grown into a three-day celebration of writings, ideas and entertainment. A festival of this nature blossoms in the open freshness of an education campus, and the festival’s partner XIMB will give it a fresh, cosmopolitan and youthful impetus. I hope the book-loving people of Bhubaneshwar will enjoy the festival’s diverse strands.”