Chandigarh,
17 June 2022
DIVYA AZAD
City-based journalist Aditya Kant, who created ripples with his widely acclaimed crime thriller fiction novel ‘High on Kasol’, is participating in the International Literature Festival being held in Shimla from June 16 to June 18.
Being organised by the ministry of culture government of India and Sahitya Akademi on the occasion of 75 years of Independence, the festival named ‘Unmesha’ will be held in the heritage buildings, the Gaiety Heritage Cultural complex, and the Town Hall, at the Ridge, Shimla.
It is expected to witness participation from over 425 writers, poets, translators, critics, and distinguished personalities from various walks of life from 15 countries including India.
Prominent amongst those participating in the event are the International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree, writer lyricist, and poet Gulzar, classical dancer Sonal Mansingh and noted actress Deepti Naval among others.
When contacted, Aditya Kant confirmed having received a formal invitation from Sahitya Akademi to participate in the festival.
“I am honoured and feel privileged that I have been invited to take part in such a historic event at Shimla which has been my hometown for more than a decade. I am delighted and looking forward to meeting the writers from across the world, at the event which is one of the biggest gatherings after the pandemic. ,” he said.
Aditya Kant’s debut novel ‘High on Kasol’, which revolves around the theme of the mysterious disappearance of foreigners and changing trends of drug trafficking in the Parvati valley, had created a buzz soon after it was released in July last year.
The festival will feature discussions, presentations, poetry, story readings performances, etc covering a wide range of topics such as “Cinema and Literature,” “World Classics & Indian Writing,” “Tribal Writings”, “Writings of LGBTQ community of India,” “Media & Literature,” “Bhakti Literature” & “Uniting Cultures through Translation.”
The evenings will feature cultural performances-Bharatanatyam by Sonal Mansingh, Tala Vadya Kacheri by P. Jayabhaskar, Nagara by Nathulal Solanki, and Dastan-e-Karn, Dastangoi by Mahmood Farooqui.
Some other distinguished personalities participating in the festival are S.L. Bhyrappa, Chandrashekhar Kambar, Kiran Bedi, Linda Hess, Daniel Negers, Surjit Patar, Namita Gokhale, Kapil Kapoor, Arif Mohammad Khan, Reghuveer Chaudhari, Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Vishwas Patil, Ranjit Hoskote, Gotanjalli Shree, Sai Paranjpye, Deepti Naval, Malashri Lal, Sudarshan Vashishtha, Pratyoosh Guleri, and S.R. Harnot.
