A galaxy of more than 250 eminent litterateurs, film and theatre personalities and artistes from different parts of the country will come together on a single platform to discuss the contemporary trends in Indian art, culture and literature as the three-day second SOA Literary Festival is poised to take off here on November 24 (Friday).

The literary fiesta is being hosted for the second time by the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University, a front-ranking university of the country, to facilitate the interface between eminent authors, story tellers, poets, linguists, historians, commentators, critics, translators, film makers, dramatists and artistes, both young and old.

The event, which bears the tagline ‘Celebration of Words and Ideas’, will also focus on the rich literary and cultural legacy of Odisha.

The first SOA Literary Festival was held on February 1 and 2, 2020 which attracted more than 100 artistes, stage personalities, writers and poets.

The SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN), a SOA initiative aiming at preservation, propagation and restoration of the country’s rich heritage and culture, is organizing the event.

PPRACHIN’s main thrust is to make different publications, conduct research, take up digitalization, organize workshops, seminars and conferences to provide an understanding and appreciation of the philosophy, aesthetics and beauty inherent in Indian art, literature and culture, its Head, Dr. Gayatribala Panda said.

“This platform has greatly enthused the art and culture circles in the state providing the opportunity to budding writers to interact with giants in the field of literature, cinema and art,” SOA Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda said.

In the press conference SOA Dean Students welfare Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das was also present.

The theme of the festival this time is ‘Indian Culture, Society and Literature: Prospects and Challenges.’

The festival will be inaugurated by eminent Odia novelist Dr. Pratibha Ray in the presence of Prof. Ashis Nandy, Social Theorist and Critic, Divya Dutta, eminent actress, Mr. Madhav Kaushik and Mr. K.Sreenivasarao, President and Secretary respectively of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. The valedictory session of the festival on November 26 will be graced by Mr. Surjit Patar, eminent Punjabi litterateur and Ms. Kumud Sharma, Vice-President of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.

Eleven eminent Odia litterateurs, critics and dramatists will be conferred with the SOA Sahitya Samman during the festival. They are Mr. Ramakanta Rath, Dr. Sitakanta Mohapatra, Mr. Bibhuti Patnaik, Dr. Jagannath Prasad Das, Mr. Achyutananda Pati, Mr. Satakadi Hota, Dr. Debi Prasanna Patnaik, Prof. Santanu Kumar Acharya, Mr. Srinivas Udgata, Prof. Dasarathi Das and Mr. Anant Mahapatra.

The literary figures expected to participate in the festival include Mr. Damodar Khadse, Mr. Damodar Mauzo, Mr. Girish Kasaravalli, Mr. Leeladhar Mandloi, Ms. Shovana Narayan, Mr. Jatin Das, Mr. Subodh Sarkar, Mr. Hara Prasad Das, Mr. Mrityunjay Kumar Singh, Mr. Paul Zacharia, Mr. Pankaj Parashar, Ms. Preeti Shenoy, Mr. Prasanta Nanda, Mr. Prabodh Parikh, Mr. Santosh Chaubey, Mr. Sharan Kumar Limbale, Mr. Atul Tiwari, Mr. Balram, Dr. Soubhagya Kumar Mishra, Mr. Sabyasachi Mohapatra and Mr. Susant Mani.

The event, which will have 60 sessions spread over the three days, will have a special session on the opening day dedicated to eminent poet Jayanta Mahapatra who passed away recently.