Bhubaneswar: The seventh edition of the Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet came to a close after three days of engaging discussions, dialogues and cultural performances spread across a gamut of topics ranging from literature to climate change to technology, films to music, and much more.
On the concluding day of the literature festival, Chitrita Banerji and Roshni Bajaj Sanghvi,both with immense knowledge on the food habits of India talked about Chitrita’s latest book. Works of prolific Odia writer of mid twentieth century and first National Sahitya Akademi Award winner Gopinath Mohanty were discussed in detail by translators Sudeshna Mohanty and Sudhansu Mohanty.
A historical discussion between Barry O’ Brien and Sashmi Nayak on the history of Anglo-Indians and the journey of the community in India, made for an interesting session. Sahitya Akademi award winner Mona Lisa Jena and Odia literary critic Paramita Satpathy discussed the rich cultural heritage of the Odia language and how in present days it is spreading across various regions of the world. Sumanyu Satpathy kept the audience enthralled in a session titled ‘The Utter Magic of Utter Nonsense’. Noted columnist Bachi Karkaria, Jatindra Kumar Nayak, Khushwant Singh and Sashmi Nayak discussed whether biographies can be considered objective.
The 7th Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet came to an end with the solo act of Pankaj Kapur titled Dopehari, based on the novel written by him and produced by Supriya Pathak Kapur at the Rail Auditorium.
Festival Director Malavika Banerjee said, “We are really happy to see the intense participation of the culturally rich people of Bhubaneswar and their love for arts and culture. We hope to come back next year with even more vigour and a promise to entertain and enthral the vibrant audience of this city.”
