Seventh Bhopal Literature Festival Set to Enthrall with Books, Art, and Cultural Delights

Bhopal, January 29, 2025: The Bhopal Literature Festival is all set to captivate the city once again with its grand annual event, featuring a diverse array of renowned authors, environmentalists, economists, diplomats, artists, and historians.

Scheduled to take place from January 31st to February 2nd, this year's festival will witness the participation of several new writers in both Hindi and English. Numerous book launches are also lined up during the event.

Shri Raghav Chandra, President of the Society for Culture and Environment and the founding co-director of this prestigious literary gathering, shared that this is the seventh year of the Bhopal Literature Festival. Over the years, it has not only become a cornerstone of Madhya Pradesh's cultural calendar but has also gained national recognition.

Chandra further mentioned that this three-day congregation of eminent writers and experts from various fields such as politics, arts, music, history, cinema, environment, security, and international relations is a treat for literature enthusiasts in the city and surrounding districts. The event is open to all and free of charge. However, attendees are required to register.

The festival will commence on January 31st at 9 AM at Bharat Bhavan, followed by approximately 61 diverse sessions over the next three days. The inaugural ceremony will be graced by Padma Shri Bhuri Bai, a renowned tribal artist and trustee of Bharat Bhavan.

Organized in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Department of Culture, this annual festival will also feature tribal artists. Several artists from various districts have been invited to showcase their traditional art. For the first time, a 'Tribal Art Fair' will be organized on a large scale, providing an opportunity for over 25 tribal artists from the state and Chhattisgarh to exhibit their art on a national platform.

On the evening of February 1st, renowned young singer Pratibha Singh Baghel will perform at Ravindra Bhavan at 6:30 PM.

The festival will conclude on the third day with an award ceremony for various competitions.

As in previous years, painting, storytelling, and poetry competitions for school children are being organized, and many talented students from city schools are enthusiastically participating. The winning children will also recite poems. The winners will be awarded on February 2nd.

The 2024 Sushila Devi Award will be presented to renowned author Manjula Padmanabhan for her outstanding novel "Taxi".

This year, an unprecedented "Solve: Begum's Missing Jewels - Murder Mystery" competition has been introduced, where participants have to find clues at Bharat Bhavan and connect the story to solve the mystery.

"Gyaan-Prasaarak" Award:

For the past two years, we have been honoring prominent booksellers for their dedication and book distribution services with a special award. In the first year, this 'Knowledge Disseminator' award was given to old booksellers in Indore, and in the second year, to those in Jabalpur. This year, Shri Suresh Wadhawa of Bhopal's Variety Books will be honored for his long-standing service.

List of Authors:

 * Akshat Gupta: Blending Indian mythology with science fiction.

 * Satyamohanty and Pradeep Mehta: Balancing economic decisions and justice in policies.

 * Vedveer Arya: Scientific interpretation of time and chronology in ancient Indian texts.

 * Dr. Alka Pandey: The spiritual significance of the number 108.

 * Kush Bhargava: The character of Bhishma Pitamah in the Mahabharata.

 * Lakshmi Puri: Women empowerment and social struggles.

 * Duvvuri Subbarao: Memoirs of a central bank governor.

 * Nandan Kamath: The impact of sports on life.

 * Sandhya Mrudul: Fearless poetry.

 * Manjula Padmanabhan: Discussion on her award-winning novel "Taxi".