BHUBANESWAR: The finest minds in literature, history, politics, academics and films will come together yet again for Odisha Literary Festival (OLF), Eastern India’s biggest literary extravaganza which kicks off here on Saturday. Hosted by The New Indian Express, OLF 2017 has been aptly themed ‘India @ 70’ as the literary festival will mirror the changing face of the nation over seven decades.
The OLF 2017 will cover an entire spectrum of literature during the two-day event which would be unveiled by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in presence of acclaimed journalist and Editorial Director of The New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been a pillar of support for the festival since its inception in 2012, will be the chief guest on the concluding day of OLF 2017 on Sunday.
From political literature to cinema, food to romance in New India, the festival this year covers a wide variety of subjects over nine enthralling sessions. For children and youth, the OLF 2017 has a story-telling session and a quiz competition as well.“Is Political Literature a new Indian Obsession,” the first session after the inauguration, will have heavyweights like former Union Minister and author Jairam Ramesh, Director of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation Anirban Ganguly, former Union Minister Manish Tewari and author and journalist Shankkar Aiyar. It promises to set the tone for the festival.
The first day would wind up with a session by none other than India’s most loved storyteller, Neelesh Misra.The second day will kick off with Quizmaster Soumyadip Chowdhury conducting a sports quiz on ‘India @ 70’ for students of Class XI and XII of City-based schools. Since Odisha has always been a focus of OLF right from the beginning, the second day will see noted authors Gaurahari Das and Ratnamala Swain in an intellectual discussion with entrepreneurs Srikumar Mishra and Pramita Mahapatra on ‘What lies ahead for Odia Youth’.
Similarly, National Award winning directors Sabyasachi Mohapatra and Amartya Bhattacharya will converse with actress Anu Choudhury and senior actress-poet Malabika Ray on problems pertaining to the Odia film industry.Indian cinema and its impact on contemporary society being an integral part of literary scenario, the session on “Tracking the changing face of Indian Cinema” with acclaimed director Madhur Bhandarkar, actor Tillotama Shome and movie critic-author Jai Arjun as speakers promises to be an engrossing session.
Acclaimed writer and food historian Pushpesh Pant, food columnist Sourish Bhattacharya and popular chef Nishant Choubey will exchange views on Indian food writing.
Author of ‘The Rise of Sivagami’ from the Bahubali trilogy, Anand Neelkanthan would engage in a conversation with senior political columnist Ravi Shankar Etteth on ‘Does our mythology contradict history?’ Durjoy Dutta, Milan Vohra and Pant will talk about ‘Romance in new India’.