Srinagar hosts Kumaon Lit Fest; sees workshops, panel discussions, book-launches & more

The Kumaon Literary Festival, which was held in Srinagar for its fourth edition, ended on Thursday. It witnessed sessions on a variety of subjects, including "Kashmir's New Age Writers, Artists and Thinkers," “Anonymous Is No Longer a Woman: She Writes, She Leads,” and ‘Stories from Kashmir’ among others. The festival which took place for two days is considered to be one of India's most coveted literary events and the fourth edition was held on the banks of the iconic Dal Lake on October 19 to 20. 

The two-day event was organised in collaboration with Kashmir's Yumberzal Applied Research Institute (KYARI). It featured a number of workshops on subjects including literature and film that highlighted various forms of art and culture. 

Highlights of the Kumaon Lit Fest in Srinagar

The event witnessed a number of key panels, including a book discussion on "The Mystic and the Lyric: Four Women Poets from Kashmir," during which writers and lecturers from different parts of the Nation offered their perspectives on a variety of subjects. Furthermore, author Neerja Mattoo discussed the contributions of four prominent Kashmiri women poets throughout the discussion, Lal Ded, Habba Khatun, Rupa Bhavani, and Animal. 

Besides this, Arhan Bagati, Manpreet Kour, Tamana Slathia, Tsering Gurmat, and Niyati Bhat participated in a discussion on the subject of "Kashmir's New Age Writers, Artists, and Thinkers." The topic of "the influence of literary stories in promoting Kashmir" was covered in the session on "Stories from Kashmir," The Kashmir Monitor reported.  

In the meantime, Manoj Sinha, the Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, attended the festival as the chief guest. Along with Sinha, renowned speakers at the festival include Dr. Bibek Debroy, the Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India; Ashwin Sanghi, India's best-selling author of fiction; veteran filmmaker Rahul Rawail; award-winning filmmaker Rahul Mittra; actor Divya Dutta; Jameel Gulrays, founder of Katha Kathan and many more. 

There was a session with Jameel Gulrays at the Kumaon Lit Festival.  

Taking to Twitter, Jammu and Kashmir L-G wrote, “Inaugurated Kumaon Literary Festival today, which brings together celebrated authors, poets, thinkers of the country to celebrate art, culture and literature. The festival provides an opportunity for people to explore new ideas & perspectives.” 

"Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography" by Parthiv Dhar and Anirudha Bhattacharjee, "The Magicians of Mazda" by Ashwin Sanghi, "The Mystic and the Lyric: Four Women Poets from Kashmir" by Neerja Mattoo, "Inked in India-Fountain Pens and A story of Make and Unmake" by Bibek Debroy and Sovan Roy, were among the books launched and discussed.  

(Image: Twitter/ @OfficeOfLGJandK)