GUWAHATI, Jan 27 - Union Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar will on Saturday inaugurate the Brahmaputra Literary Festival, billed as the biggest ever literary extravaganza to be held in this part of the country.
The festival, organised by the National Book Trust and Assam government, proposes to focus not only on the languages, literatures, cultures, society, politics, performance traditions, music, identity, media of the north-eastern region of the country, but also on national and international elements packaged in the three-day event.
It will bring together prominent personalities and celebrities, writers, thinkers, artistes and other performers both from the North East and across the country as well as internationally acknowledged litterateurs and other intellectuals from various disciplines.
�This get-together will not only encourage new ideas and their dissemination, but will also create an atmosphere of enthusiasm and offer a platform for intellectual exchanges. The basic components of the festival will include panel discussions on issues concerning books, literature and language, in-conversation sessions with writers, reading sessions, book signing sessions as well as cultural programmes, showcasing indigenous cultures,� Dr Rita Choudhury, Director, National Book Trust said today.
Sixteen foreign authors from ten countries and some major writers from across India are participating in the festival. Among noted participants will be Randy Taguchi from Japan, Carlo Pizaati, Giampaolo Simi and Alessandra Bertini from Italy, Francois Gautier and Nicoloi Idier from France. Prominent Indian writers who will participate include Damodar Mauzo, Subhash Kashyap, Makarand Paranjpe and Narendra Kohli, besides those from the North East.
Presence of celebrities like Asha Parekh and Shatrughan Sinha will add glamour to the event.
The session will be held simultaneously at the six venues of the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The venues have been named after some stalwarts of Indian literature - Tagore Hall, Pandita Ramabai Hall, Premchand Hall, Subramania Bharathi Hall, Nalinibala Devi Hall and Bezbarua Hall.
Besides the literary component, the other highlights of the event include film screenings, live music concert, cultural programmes, activities for children, street theatre and interactive sessions. Publication Board Assam is supporting the event.
The organisers plan to make the festival an annual event.
