The first all-Bangla Literature Festival of Kolkata completes a decade

Started in 2015, with a half-day event, the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) has only grown since then. The first only-Bangla literature festival of the city was a gift curated by the century old Oxford Bookstores. Having been graced by the likes of late laurels like Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Sankha Ghosh, and Anish Deb the festival, over the years became a platform to not only take forward the legacy of Bengali literature but also focus on the language. It is a testament to the evolution of the genre through dialogues between iconic Bengali writers and emerging writers sharing the stage to put forward various opinions. Apart from thematic discussions, it also promotes poetry, poetry writing, micro-fiction, word games and more.

Festival Director Swagat Sengupta mentions, “This milestone 10th edition will feature 14 expertly curated sessions exploring diverse themes, from children's literature to politics, cinema, poetry, sports, and the centenary celebrations of prominent Bengali literary figures. We are grateful for the unwavering support of our patrons and audiences, who have helped us strengthen and promote Bengali language and culture. This year, we will offer an immersive on-ground experience and global accessibility through live streaming.” As the 10^th ABSU is about to be inaugurated here are five sessions you should look forward to.

Icons Lead the way

The edition will be inaugurated by iconic writers Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Subodh Sarkar which will be followed by them addressing the audience. Both are veterans in the field of Bengali literature with Mukhopadhyay having the charm of capturing the audience’s attention through generations. His novels and stories have also been adapted on –screen and have made a good watch.

Three Centenaries!  

Discussions have been curated around the centenary years of three stalwarts. ‘From Betrayal to Rupmanjari: celebrating Narayan Sanyal’s centenary’ has a lively discussion among Rupak Saha, Anima Brahma and Gautam Bhattacharya moderated by Sabyasachi Sarkar. ‘Stories that are true: Celebrating Tapan Sinha’s Centenary’ will witness an engaging discussion among Satabdi Roy, Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay and Alok Prasad Chattopadhyay. Anjan Dutt and Shiladitya Sen will speak at the concluding session of this edition- ‘Kolkata 71: Celebrating Mrinal Sen’s Centenary’.

Varieties Special

The Festival is adept in bringing together not only personalities from the world of literature but also from films, music, sports, theatre, civil service, food and more, giving it a multi-dimensional approach to the curation. It is important to note that Bengali literature or as a language left its mark on every aspect of the city’s cultural milieu which is now being highlighted making the future generation aware of the vastness of the field. Notable personalities like Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Nachiketa, Surojit Chatterjee, Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, Rupam Islam, Usha Uthup, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Barun Chanda, Parambrata Chatterjee and more have been former delegates. This year, there are sessions on food, music, poetry and more.

Signs and Selfies!

With notable authors and personalities speaking at the Festival, one should not forget to pack their favourite books to get them signed and of course, the mobile should be handy to take a quick click.

Start a dialogue

The Festival is a place to start a dialogue. Meet likeminded people, share opinions and move forward in the cause of making people aware and spread their mother-language. It serves as an inspiration to read Bengali books, re-read older ones, and introduce readers and non-readers alike to books, new-age authors and more. What more, it leaves a global footprint with each session being recorded and live-streamed on social media for wider accessibility. And with a vast inventory of Bengali books, you might want to pick up your favourites from the bookstore itself!

The Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob will be held from November 15-17. Entry Free for all. Complete Schedule can be accessed via official social media and website.