New Delhi: Asia's biggest international literature festival -'Unmesha' - is being organized in the city of Bhopal from 3 to 6 August 2023. Addressing the Media, K. Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi , said that 'Unmesha' is India's most inclusive literature festival and Asia's largest literature festival in terms of number of languages represented, but is on its way to become the world's largest literature festival. He further said that in each edition of 'Unmesha' we try to add new topics so that a new set of writers get an opportunity to participate in the discussion and their creativity gets new directions.
Along with this International Literature Festival, the National Festival of Folk and Tribal Expressions 'Utkarsha' is being organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi. Both these mega events will be inaugurated by Her Excellency Smt. Droupadi Murmu, Honourable President of India. On this occasion, Sri Mangubhai Patel, Honourable Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Sri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Honourable Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Government of India & Smt. Uma Nanduri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India will also be there. Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh are jointly organizing this festival which will be held as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. More than 575 authors in 102 languages are participating in more than 75 events in Unmesha 2023 which is a celebration of expression. Writers from 13 countries will participate in the festival.
It may be noted that this is the second edition of 'Unmesha'. The first event was held in Shimla in June 2022.
At Unmesha, apart from multilingual poetry and story readings, there are many topics that will be discussed for the first time. These topics are: Literature Doctors Prescribed, Ocean Literature, Rise of Machines - Authorless Literature, Creativity Boosting Education, Translation: Driver of Progress and Critical Thinking, Yoga Literature, Literature and Nature, e-Literature, etc. Other important topics that will be discussed are: Indian Poetry Traditions, Bhakti Literature of India, Cultural Heritage of India, Alienation Effect in Indian Plays, Unity in Diversity, Soft Power of India, Cinema and Literature, Promotion of Indian Literature in Foreign Languages, Importance of Mother tongues, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Feminism and Literature, Tribal Literature, and Voices of the Marginalized - Rise of the Oppressed, etc.
Important writers, scholars, journalists, translators, publishers, cultural activists, theatre personalities, filmmakers from India and abroad are participating in this International Literature Festival. Governors of three states – Sri Arif Mohammed Khan, Hon'ble Governor of Kerala, Sri Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Hon'ble Governor of Chhattisgarh, Smt.Tamilisai Soundararajan, Hon'ble Governor of Telangana State are also participating in the festival of expression. Fiji's Ambassador to India, Kamlesh Shashi Prakash, and S.L. Bhayrappa, Shantisree Dhulipudi Pandit, V. Kamakoti, Chandrashekhar Kambar, Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, Sanjoy Roy, Jayant Mahapatra, Oscar Pujol, Tulsi Diwasa, M.A. Alwar, Suresh Goyal, Girishwar Mishra, Chitra Divakaruni, Vishnu Dutt Rakesh, Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Linda Hes, Mami Yamada, Amish Tripathi, Sonal Mansingh, Chitra Mudgal, Raghuveer Chaudhary, Mamta Kalia, Mahesh Dattani, Waman Kendre, Prayag Shukla, Surjit Patar, Navtej Sarna, Vishwas Patil, Namita Gokhale, Mahendra Kumar Mishra, Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Vasamalli K., Arun Kamal, Govind Mishra, Leeladhar Jagudi and Usha Kiran Khan, etc. will be the part of Unmesha 2023.
Festival of Folk and Tribal Expressions, being organized by Sangeet Natak Akademi, will have artists from Madhya Pradesh and other states presenting colourful programmes every evening.
Books of Sahitya Akademi and other literary institutions will also be displayed and sold at attractive discount during the festival.
