GUWAHATI: Eminent authors, columnists and artists converged at Meghalaya capital Shillong’s iconic Ward’s Lake, draped in pink Cherry Blossoms, as the 5th Shillong Literary Festival got underway on Thursday.
The setting offered the perfect backdrop for lovers of literature, marking the beginning of a three-day creative dialogue.
The opening day witnessed the presence of some distinguished literary and cultural figures, including Booker International Prize-winning writer Banu Mushtaq, internationally acclaimed Spanish author Francesc Miralles, Sanjoy Hazarika, Sam Dalrymple, Jerry Pinto, Prof. Desmond Kharmawphlang, Malvika Banerjee, Sonal Jain, Dennis Laishram, Patricia Mukhim; and several celebrated local writers such as Streamlet Dkhar and Valden John Pariat.
Stating that hosting the Shillong Literary Festival has become a ritual, Vijay Kumar D, Commissioner & Secretary of Meghalaya’s Tourism Department, said: “This has spawned a whole movement of engagement in colleges, schools, and institutions…A request from our side: please take our stories to the world.”
Terming the Shillong Literary Festival as a festival of imagination, Mushtaq, Booker International Prize-winning author of Heart Lamp, reflected on the city’s creative spirit.
“To stand in Shillong today feels like walking into a page that has been quietly waiting for me. The city of music and gentle hills has always lived in the Indian imagination as a place where stories breathe easily. I am honoured to add my own voice to that landscape. This festival, here in these hills, is a reminder of how deeply stories connect us,” she said.
Miralles, internationally acclaimed Spanish author of Ikigai, said he felt honoured to be in Shillong for the first time.
“I am just discovering this beautiful region, but I am very attached to India in my relationship with writing books. I was a publisher and a translator of books; I studied German language and literature. But it was during my first trip to India in 1998 that I decided to become a writer. Without India, I would never have written books,” Miralles said.
Banerjee, Curator of the Shillong Literary Festival 2025, expressed delight at returning to Ward’s Lake after four years. She described it as an honour to curate the festival and shared her hope that the audience would enjoy the programme.
She highlighted the distinct privilege of curating the Khasi and Garo programmes this year, acknowledging the guidance she received from several contributors.
The first day of the festival also witnessed the launch of three books – ‘Wad Shwa La Ka Tynrai’ by Streamlet Dkhar (renowned Khasi poet and writer), ‘Songs of Our People’ by Anurag Banerjee (writer and researcher) and ‘Is She Wise’ by Monica Thomas, Gladinia Pyrtuh and Anthony Durpui (authors and cultural documentarians).
The day continued with an engaging session where Miralles, in conversation with Prof. Kharmawphlang, discussed the Japanese way of life that inspired Ikigai. This was followed by a conversation with Hazarika and Preeti Gill, exploring his journeys and the genesis of the Dibrugarh boat clinic project.
A reflective segment on myths and memory unfolded through “Puri – The Shape of Water,” after which a live drawing session by Dennis Laishram, readings by Valden John Pariat, and a discussion by Rosy Chamling and Hoihnu Hazel brought forward the richness of Himalayan folklore.
The evening closed with a session titled, “Making Khasi Literature Travel,” featuring Streamlet Dkhar, Bandarilin Bairo, Alfidarie Kharsyntiew and Basilica Nongpluh, who reflected on translation, literary platforms and the future of Khasi literature.
The day ended with a soulful musical performance by artists of Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project, celebrating the musical talent and creative vibrancy of Meghalaya’s youth.