BHUBANESWAR: Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) will host the 39th World Congress of Poets (WCP) here from October 2, coinciding with the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
More than 1000 poets and writers from 82 countries including India and 500 poets from Odisha will attend the five-day-long event. ‘Compassion through Poetry’ is the theme of 39th World Congress of Poets.
This is the third time WCP is being hosted in India. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS, took initiatives to bring this mega event to Odisha to promote the art, culture, heritage, literature, tradition and tourism of India and Odisha at international level.
Various kinds of poetry including Compassion Poetry, Wisdom Poetry, Tourism Poetry, Spiritual Poetry and Reflection Poetry will be held during the Congress. The Wisdom Poetry will be held October 3 at KIIT, while the Tourism Poetry will be held at Konark Sun Temple October 4. The venue for Spiritual Poetry is Puri Sea Beach.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the 39th WCP October 2. Union Minister Prahlad Singh will inaugurate the Wisdom Poetry.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will grace the valedictory session October 6 as the chief guest, while Governor of Odisha, Ganeshi Lal and Union Minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi will be the Guests of Honour.
During this congress, the highest honour of WCP ‘Golden Gabel’ will be conferred Dr. Achyuta Samanta. Besides, Honorary D.Litt. will be conferred on six eminent litterateurs and Honorary Diploma to five eminent persons.
Gandhi Prize for Literature will be awarded to noted Gandhian Acharya Bhabananda from Odisha. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled at KIIT campus October 2 to pay tribute to the Mahatma on his 150th Birth Anniversary.
Poets and writers from 82 countries will also celebrate Gandhi Jayanti with 27,500 tribal students of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and inaugurate a library in the name of Karamchand Gandhi for the public.