Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2021 rolls out in “New-Normal” mode

News Correspondent, abptakmaa, Kolkata, 20th Jan 2021: Apeejay Surrendra Group and Oxford Bookstores have announced the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2021 from 22nd – 24thJanuary 2021.

Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival or AKLF, is the first international literary festival in Kolkata and Eastern India, is free for everyone, and continues to be since its inception in 2010 – the only Literary Festival organized by a Bookstore. The AKLF is an engagement initiative with the literary world at large and explores literature as part of our tangible and intangible heritage.

This year, keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic, the festival is being held under strict Covid Safety protocols at The Currency Building, Kolkata as a by registration only – hybrid event besides the Live- Digital format.With a stellar line up of literary stalwarts, artists and thinkers, the three-day festival from 22nd to 24th January in its 12th edition will explore various dialogues focusing on new writings,translations, mythologies, children’s’ literature, relevant and topical issues besides publishing for the new India.

Priti Paul, Director Apeejay Surrendra Group said “2020 is behind us, and has provided us with a time for reflection with a clear 20/20 vision. Oxford Bookstore and the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival have utilised the digital space proactively through the past year, as a realm for carrying out projects and conversations, as well conceiving new ideas. We believe that an important uniting thread at this time is the cause of books. The space occupied by Literature and Books, whether on the ground or in the virtual world, will flourish. It is in this spirit that we present the 12th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival to our informed Kolkata audiences.

Maina Bhagat, Director Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival and Apeejay Oxford Bookstores said: The 12th Edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, sets its sights on our fast evolving world, and the changes that lie in store in the years ahead. Curated meticulously to meet the challenges of the Hybrid/Virtual format, with delegate participation from across 3 time zones, this acceleration to digital connectivity, has not stopped us from moving forward with this key initiative. The Festival, packed with thought provoking, entertaining and informative sessions, is a celebration of the written word, in the time of Covid.

AKLF 2021 recognises that books, ideas, discussions, freedom of expression, creativity, output, and respect for multiple points of view, that is offered through its platform, is more relevant today, than perhaps ever before.

To give out a first taster of AKLF2021, festival directors Maina Bhagat and Swagat Sengupta announced the list of speakers:Paro Anand, Alexandra Pringle, AndaleebWajid, Kunal Basu, Namita Gokhale, Shashi Tharoor, Shobhaa De, Kishwar Desai, Viswanathan Anand , Boria Majumder, Anand Neelakantan, Kevin Missal, Ashok Banker, ParmeshShahani, RujutaDiwekar, Nisha Narayanan, Samit Basu, Sopan Deb, Anjum Katyal, SonuSood, Malashri Lal, Aakar Patel, Harsh Mander, KarunaE.Parikh , VirginieCorteval, Jérôme Petit, Thibaut d’Hubert, Selvam Thorez , Deepa Mehta, Juhi Chaturvedi, Manoj Bajpai , Aseem Chhabra, Katherine Eban, TamalBandyopadhyay, Lisa Ray , Abhijit Bhaduri , Sandip Roy, Avik Chanda were some of the names announced.

AKLF 2021 Highlights

22nd January 2021, Friday

Teen-teen Adventures (4.30 – 5.15pm)

Paro Anand, AndaleebWajid and Ramanjit Kaur in conversation with Bhaskar

Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize Longlist Announcement (5.30 – 6.15 pm)

Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize Longlist with Jury members Kunal Basu, Namita Gokhale, Priti Paul, Shashi Tharoor and Shobhaa De.

I am no Messiah (9.00 – 10.00 pm)

SonuSoodand Meena K Iyer in conversation with MileeAshwarya

23rd January 2021, Saturday

Out of Print: What’s plaguing publishing? (3.30 – 4.15 pm)

Alexandra Pringle, Kanishka Gupta in conversation with Karthika V.K

Romain Rolland Prize
Challenges of Translation (4.15 -5.15pm )

With Emmanuel Lebrun Damiens, Maina Bhagat, ChinmoyGuha, Christine Cornet with Jaya Bhattacharji Rose. Followed by the Announcement of the Winners of the Prize with Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, VirginieCorteval, Maina Bhagat&ChinmoyGuha.

Presented in association with InstitutFrancais and Alliance Du Bengale

Bengali Literature & Miniatures (5.30 pm- 6.15 pm)

Jérôme Petit, Thibaut d’Hubert, KanchanaMukhopadhyay moderated by Selvam Thorez andintroduction by Christine Cornet .In association with InstitutFrancais and Alliance Du Bengale

New Normal, New India (6.30 – 7.15 pm)

With Harsh Mander, Aakar Patel, Karuna E. Parikh in conversation with Anjum Katyal.

Books and Cinema, from word to screen(9.00 – 10.00 pm)

Deepa Mehta, Juhi Chaturvedi and Manoj Bajpai in conversation with Aseem Chhabra regarding the adaptation of the books in the silver screen

24thJanuary 2021, Sunday

Checkmate(1.30 – 2.15 pm)

Viswanathan Anand in conversation with Boria Majumder

Eating in the Age of Dieting ( 3.30 – 4.15pm)

RujutaDiwekar in conversation with Nisha Narayanan

“A Centenary Tribute to Federico Fellini” by Federico Grandesso (4.30 pm- 5.15 pm)

In association with Foundation Fellini pour le Cinema & Consulate General of Italy in Kolkata

Calcutta to Canada: Background and Foreground with Lisa Ray (9.00 – 10.00 pm)

Lisa Ray in conversation with Sandip Ray. Publicity : Candid Communication