Kolkata, January 11, 2025: The 16th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) commenced at Allen Park, Kolkata, with a mesmerizing performance by Usha Uthup, who emphasized the joy of living in the moment and the importance of reconnecting with books. A heartfelt tribute was paid to the late filmmaker Shyam Benegal, celebrating his legacy of portraying India’s diversity, with insights from actors Ila Arun and Nikhil Bhagat and the launch of Arjun Sengupta’s book Shyam Benegal: Filmmaker of Real India.
Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar launched their book Keep Moving at the first session of day 1 at 16th Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, emphasizing fitness as a holistic journey including mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Milind shared his journey from swimming to running, highlighting discipline over societal expectations, while Ankita spoke about self-discovery and resilience through challenges like marathons. They also addressed societal issues around fitness, with Milind championing women’s inclusion through initiatives like Pinkathon.
Singer-actor Ila Arun captivated the audience by sharing stories from her versatile career spanning theatre, cinema, and music. With her trademark wit and charm, she recounted crucial moments that shaped her artistic journey and the challenges of she faced throughout her illustrious career. Actor-director Vinay Sharma joined her in exploring the interplay between the performing arts, offering insights into the symbiotic relationship between theatre and cinema.
Renowned historian and author William Dalrymple delved into his journey as a writer, offering a glimpse into the inspirations behind his acclaimed works. In a candid conversation with historian and acclaimed author Rana Safvi, he reflected on his passion for uncovering stories that bridge the past and present.
The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize 2025 shortlist announcement gave way to an engaging discussion on the evolving role of book covers in a visually driven world. The jurors for this session were Shobhaa De, Kunal Basu, Alka Pande, Anja Riedeberger, and Samar Jodha, and was moderated by AKLF director Anjum Katyal. Following this, Pinaki De celebrated 50 years of Ray’s Sonar Kella with a presentation on a new volume.
The Oxford Junior Literary Festival, held at the Oxford Bookstore had interactive storytelling sessions, for classes 2-5, namely Storytime: Storytelling and Interaction with Sutapa Basu. For classes 6–8, a session titled Naughty and Nice: What Makes a Character Fun? explored character creation. The day also included Making Magic with Madhurima Vidyarthi and Sutapa Basu.
Poetry sessions at Alliance Française du Bengale’s Poetry Café, yet another exciting part of the AKLF featured a variety of engaging sessions. Forfeatured notable poets Jaydeep Sarangi, Amit Shankar Saha, Bishnu Mohapatra, Debasish Lahiri, Bashabi Fraser, and Sharmila Ray.
The three-day festival enjoys the support of esteemed partners – Kenilworth Hotel, as the Hospitality Partner; Cha Bar for Refreshments; Calcutta Business School, ILead and Teacher’s Centre as the Institutional Partners; and Glenburn Penthouse and Alliance Française du Bengale as Festival Collaborators along with The Park as the Festival Partner and Flurys as Gifting Partner. Additionally, 91.9 Friends FM serves as the Radio Partner. The event will feature contributions from numerous prominent publishing houses, fostering a collaborative and lively literary ambiance. To name a few- Aleph Book Company, Bloomsbury, Hachette, HarperCollins, Harvard University Press, Jadavpur University Press, Juggernaut, Niyogi Books, Penguin Random House, Readomania, Routledge, Rupa Publications, Speaking Tiger, Vitasta Publishing, Westland Books, and many others.