The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF), which was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held in Bhubaneswar from Friday in hybrid mode.
Over 300 speakers from the world of literature, cinema, media, and politics will assemble at the three-day literary meet.
Nepal is this year’s country partner.
Given that India has entered the 75th year of its Independence, the organisers have opted for India at 75: Commemorating the Republic of Letters’ as the central theme of the festival, now in its eighth edition, KLF founder and director Rashmi Parida said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Odia Language, Literature, and Culture Minister Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi will inaugurate the festival on Friday.
Nepal Embassy Charg d’affaires Ram Prasad Subedi will join the ceremony.
Eminent scholar and former West Bengal governor Gopalkrisnha Gandhi will deliver the keynote address on the central theme.
Veteran Odia writer Shrinavas Udgata, poet Arun Kamal, and Bollywood actor and author Divya Dutta will be conferred with the KLF Awards.
Writer Taro Sindik from Arunachal Pradesh will receive the Kalinga Literary Youth Award, while 49 writers will receive the KLF Book Awards.
An art festival will also be held showcasing the works of 60 artists from Odisha and other states related to the central theme of the literary meet.
More than 30 new books and monographs will be released during the event.
The festival can also be watched live on social media handles, Parida said.