To promote literature in Hindi and other Indian languages, the inaugural edition of Tagore International Literature and Arts festival will feature over 500 authors and artists from 30 countries. Organised by the Tagore International Center for Arts and Culture, ‘Vishwa Rang’ will be held between November 7-10 in Bhopal.

Festival director Santosh Choubey said in a statement, “Through this festival, we want to promote Hindi and other Indian languages at an international scale by providing a platform for discussion, participation and deliberation for everyone involved in Hindi ‘sahitya’, arts and culture. “We have partnered with reputed international and national universities and organizations that are focused on raising awareness about the literary richness and importance of Indian languages.”

Particiating authors will include Jnanpith and Sahitya Academi awardee Raghuveer Chaudhari, Padma Shri winner Surjit Patar, and Vyas Samman awardees Chitra Mudgal and Vishwanath Tripathi. Renowned actor Ashutosh Rana, poet and lyricist Irshad Kamil and singer Raghu Dixit will also be part of the festival.

The event aims to serve as a platform for ideological dialogue and cultural interplay. It will feature over 60 sessions on subjects ranging from literature, education, cinema, journalism and environment. The festival’s line-up will comprise of an international mushaira session, a discourse on Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and their contemporaries, and a Dastangoi performance.

International litterateurs will include Bangladeshi poet and essayist Mozid Mahmud, South African actress, writer and performance poet Lebogang Mashile, Burmese poet, poetry editor and translator Ko Ko Thett, Filipino poet, essayist and freelance journalist Marra PL Lanot, Sri Lankan Tamil poet Rudhramoorthy Cheran, Tibetan poet, writer and activist Tenzin Tsundue, and Russian poet, essayist, cultural activist and anthropologist Igor Sid.

The event will also feature a three-day retrospective on Tagore focusing on his poetry, paintings, stories and plays. It will be held on November 4-7. The festival is supported by various literary and cultural government bodies including Department of Culture and Tourism in Bhopal, Sahitya Akademi, Jnanpith, National Book Trust, and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.

Source: PTI