Bhubaneswar : The Sixth Edition of the Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet came to a close today after three days of engaging discussions, dialogue and cultural performances spread across a gamut of topics ranging from literature to technology, from films to music, and much more. The concluding session was a magical affair for award-winning singer Sonal Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project performing moving compositions at the Rail Auditorium. Tata Steel’s annual literary fest, which returned to the city after a gap of a year owing to the pandemic, saw some of the region’s and the country’s best authors, poets, thespians, musicians and artists sharing their valuable insights and experiences.
The final day of the Literary Meet began with a session Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and his co-author Tanuj Bhojwani talking about their new book ‘The art of Bitfulness’. The dialogue saw keen participation from the audience who were intrigued on how we can maintain a difference between work and home in a rapidly digitalizing world where we are becoming more dependent on technology. This was followed by a discussion with Gianluca Rubagotti, Counsel General of Italy in India, and legendry Odissi and Chhau dancer Ileana Citaristi on the impact of Italian culture on India. Actors Rahul Bose and Jayant Kripalani discussed how in recent times the format of web series is ruling the entertainment industry and that impact this has on the big screen. Noted wildlife writer Bikram Grewal launched his new book ‘Wildlife in India’ and discussed about the trend of wildlife tourism post pandemic world.
This was followed by a session with former IAS officer and current Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister’s Office in Odisha R Balakrishnan, who has been working for the past 30 years on the origin of the Dravidians and the pre-history of Tamilians and Indus Valley Civilisation. He interacted with Tony Joseph and Sampad Patnaik on the journey of a civilization. Women’s writings have been celebrated and discussed across all of Tata Steel’s Literary Meets, and in this edition Sahitya Akademi awardee Yashodhara Mishra spoke with Sanghamitra Mishra and Hiranmayee Mishra on women writers writing on women issues. The final session at the Bhubaneswar Club, the venue for the Literary Meet this year, could not have been with an enthralling discussion celebrating the centenary year of Satyajit Ray. Iconic actor Dhritiman Chatterjee was joined by Susant Mishra, Kapilas Bhuyan and Surya Deo for an engaging dialogue on the works of the master.
Mr. Sarvesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Communications, Tata Steel, India & South East Asia said, “The response to the Sixth Edition of Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet has been heart-warming, and this encourages us to make future events bigger and better. We have been supporting free thinking and debate in society for several decades and it is to this end that we have been organising Literary Meets in this region. It has been a privilege for Tata Steel to be able to host this event and I thank the ever-supportive people of Odisha for their participation.”
Festival Director Malavika Banerjee said, “We are really happy to see the intense involvement of the culturally rich people of Odisha and their love for literature and culture. We hope to come back next year with even more vigour and promise to entertain and enthrall the vibrant audience of Bhubaneswar.”