Kolkata, The 10th edition of three-day Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival reaches its culmination on Sunday after hosting dozens of sessions addressed by key writers, historians and public intellectuals from India and abroad.
The annual event that began on Friday saw wide ranging themes and issues, including the current socio-political situation in the country, responsible journalism, mythology, history and #MeToo movement, being discussed at several venues spread along the iconic Park Street here.
“It is clear that during the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Kolkata becomes a literary magnet. AKLF is the only literary festival in the country created by a bookstore, the nearly 100-year-old Iconic Oxford Bookstore. The people of the city are interested in books and reading a variety of genres ranging from classics to Pulitzer Prize winning titles and this was very evident from the audience and their interaction with authors at the festival,” Priti Paul, Director of Apeejay Surrendra group, which organises the festival, told IANS.
Paul, herself a bookworm, said the festival arose from the deep love of books and literature.
“It is not only about meeting authors and book signings, it’s about using literature and books for education, exposure and ideas and that’s exactly what we saw at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival,” she added.
Top Indian authors such as Devdutt Pattanaik, David Davidar, Jerry Pinto, Shashi Tharoor, Shobha De, Saikat Majumdar and Paro Anand, among others, participated in the festival.
On the sidelines, it also hosted a series of events, targeting a young audience. The festival delegates from India and abroad were also made witness to the timeless traditions of Bengal through specially curated dinners on the sidelines.
Tagoreana, a dinner hosted on Saturday at The Park Hotel here, for instance, was themed after the Nobel Prize winning writer Rabindra Nath Tagore. Award winning chefs were looped in to recreate rare dishes for the special occasion.
The evening saw a get together of authors, diplomats, actors and eminent media personalities enjoying a splendid menu comprising Aloo Makha Kurkuri, Kosha Mangsho Bakhlawa, Holy Basil Chingri Malai Curry, Aaloo Lal Saag, Posto Chenna Dalna, Kolkata Style Mutton Biriyani and many more.
A number of workshops on creative writing and illustrative arts along with poetry reading sessions were also organised in and around the venues.
