Kolkata: India's first Bengali literary festival, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) commenced its ninth edition with inspiring writers and thinkers. Eminent poet, Joy Goswami inaugurated the festival at the iconic Oxford Bookstore in the distinguished presence of Abhirup Mukhopadhyay and Swagat Sengupta, Festival Director and CEO of Oxford Bookstores.
The inaugural session was followed by three captivating sessions featuring creative luminaries from different walks of life. These sessions explored a diverse range of themes like Commemoration of the 200th birth anniversary of Michael Madhusudan Dutt with Aveek Majumder, Debatosh Das, Sakti Sadhan Mukhopadhyay in conversation with Abhishek Ghoshal. Aveek Majumder moderated conversations around translations with Chinmoy Guha, Chaitali Chattopadhyay, Abhijit Mukherjee and Srikumar Chattopadhyay. The first day of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob concluded with a session that discussed how literature goes beyond the pages of books with Debashis Sen, Satyam Roychowdhury, Arindam Sil and Suvadeep Chakraborty on the panel.
“There are two types of writer-poet all over the world. The first type craves for the stage, limelight, and festivity and the other whose writing table is their stage. While the former group is numerous, the latter remains limited. And this is how the world is.”, said Joy Goswami.
Swagat Sengupta, Festival Director and CEO of Oxford Bookstores stated, "ABSU has consistently strived to elevate the stature of Bengali literature, providing a platform for Bengali literary enthusiasts to engage with eminent authors, scholars, and artists. We are overwhelmed with the love and support showered by the audiences over the years. This year's festival promises to be more enriching and thought-provoking experience for all. We hope that literature lovers can once again immerse themselves in this literary and cultural extravaganza at Oxford Bookstore.”
Upcoming sessions for the 9th Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob has an assortment of topics. Day 2 i.e. 25 November 2023 will revolve around out of the box discussions on themes like politics; representation of rural life in Bengali literature; poetry; declining importance of stories & novels in magazines and periodicals; tussle between violence and love stories in Bengali literature and the role of memes and jokes in cornering humour in Bengali Literature. A musical tribute will be given in remembrance of Kanika Bandhyopadhyay and Suchitra Mitra.
Day 3 (26th November 2023) has a mixture of riveting and light-hearted sessions. While Word games and Poetry reading session partnered with Shabdabaaji and Surojit-o-Bondhura Kobita Club respectively will engage the audience with fun activities, whereas topics on women’s writing; State policies vs Politics in Literature (partnered with Zee 24 Ghanta); Science fiction (to name a few) will deliberate crucial themes in Bengali literature. The evening shall also witness two major sessions: 100 years of Abol Tabol & Literature in Bangladesh.
In recognition of ABSU's global reach and to enhance accessibility for Bengali literature enthusiasts worldwide, the festival is being LIVE streamed on the official Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob Facebook page and YouTube channel on all three days: November 24, 25, and 26.
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