Tarushi Singh, Keekli Intern
The International Literature Festival is going to be organised by the collaborative effort of Sahitya Academy, Ministry of Culture Government of India, Bhasha Sanskrit Vibhag, 
Government of Himachal Pradesh and Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav in Gaiety Heritage Complex Ridge, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh from 16-18 June 2022, stated Sahitya Academy Secretary Srinivas Rao and Director LAC HP, Dr Pankaj Lalit. The Chief Guest for the occasion is Chandrashekhar Kambar is a Kannada writer, playwright, novelist and folklorist, he has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 2021 and the Jnanpith award in 2010, these are a few of his awards. He is the founding Vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi.
Having 425 + participants from 15 countries including India, representing over 60 languages and 64 events, national and international scholars, writers, film personalities, journalists, and publicists, the event will be the largest Literature Fest to have ever occurred in India. Artists from all walks of life have been welcomed warmly for this event, 32 LGBTQIA+ community writers, 40 Aadivasi language writers, 25 North Eastern writers, 9 International writers and 9 emigrant writers are some of the diverse artists that will be present at the event. International writers are connected to the Indian language and culture through some interests and research about the Indian culture and Heritage.
A total of 300 writers associated with 24 Indian languages will be participating in the event and diverse artists from different states of India will be representing their literature and culture to the audience.
The inaugural ceremony will be held on Thursday, 16th June 2022 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the main Auditorium of Gaiety Heritage Cultural Complex Ridge, Shimla. The welcome address will be given by Chandrashekhar Kambar, President, Sahitya Akademi, followed by the addresses of the Chief Guest, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Guests of Honour Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Swami Rambhadracharya, scholar and saint, Govind Singh, Minister of Education and Language and Culture Government of Himachal Pradesh, and concluding remarks by Uma Nanduri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture Government of India.
To list a few notable individuals that will be engaging in the event, we have Sonal Mansingh, Gulzar, S. L Bhyrappa, Chandrashekhar Kambar, Kiran Bedi, Linda Hess, Daniel Negers, Surjit Patar, Namita Gokhale, Kapil Kapoor, Arif Mohammad Khan, Raghuveer Chaudhari, Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Vishwas Patil, Ranjit Hoskote, Gitanjali Shree, Sai Paranjpye, Deepti Naval, Malashri Lal, Sudarshan Vashishtha, Pratyoosh Guleri, SR Harnot, Hoshang Merchant, Leeladhar Jagoori, Arun Kamal, Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Baldeo Bhai Sharma, Satish Alekar and Vishnu Dutt Rakesh.
The three days of the festival will have numerous topics of discussion and debate, ranging from the themes of “Cinema & Literature,” “World Classics & Indian Writing,” “Tribal Writings, “Writings of LGBTQ community of India,” “Media & Literature,” “Bhakti Literature” & “Uniting Cultures through Translation.” This initiative represents the Government’s effort to display the development of India nationally and internationally and enable its citizens to understand the impact India has had worldwide. The organizers of the event firmly believe in the participation of the youth consequently many young and promising are part of the event, and many prominent professionals will be present at the event to share their knowledge and insights during the numerous discussions held.
Cultural performances will take place in the evenings, including Bharatanatyam by Sonal Mansingh, Tala Vadya Kacheri by P. Jayabhaskar, and Nagara by Nathulal Solanki and Dastan-e-Karn, and Dastangoi by Mahmood Farooqui. Kulluvi and Spiti dances will also be performed during the three-day festival.
The valedictory ceremony will be held on Saturday, 18th June 2022 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Main Auditorium, Gaiety Complex, Ridge. The welcome address will be given by Madhav Kaushik, Vice President, Sahitya Akademi, followed by the address of the chief guest, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Hon’ble Governor of Himachal Pradesh. The festival is open to the public on all three days and 1000+ books related to the Independence movement will be displayed during the event and the books of five Indian publishers will be purchasable.
