9 January, Kolkata: The festival will be inaugurated by iconic singer Usha Uthup, with a special tribute to the legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal. Esteemed author Arjun Sengupta will honour Benegal’s enduring legacy by releasing his book Shyam Benegal: Filmmaker of the Real India. AKLF 2025 boasts an impressive line-up of speakers, with more than 120 writers gracing the festival. Notable names include Akhil Katyal, Akshat Gupta, Dr Alka Pande, Anand Neelakantan, Anuja Chandramouli, Anita Agnihotri, Ankita Konwar, Aparna Vaidik, Aritra Sarkar, Arunava Sinha, Ashis Nandy, Blossom Kochhar, Chinmoy Guha, Ira Mukhoty, Jael Silliman, Jayanta Sengupta, Kunal Basu, M K Raina, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Milind Soman, Monideepa Banerjie, Neha Dixit, Nusrat F Jafri, Pinaki De, Prayaag Akbar, Rajdeep Sardesai, Ramachandra Guha, Rana Safvi, Ruchir Joshi, Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Salil Tripathi, Samar Jodha, Nitish Bhushan, Samrat Choudhury, Sandip Roy, Shabnam Minwalla, Shalini Modi, Shenaz Treasury, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Shobhaa De, Sudeep Chakravarti, Sugata Bose, Sumantra Ghosal, Shaun Kenworthy, Sunita Kohli, Vinay Sharma, Vandana Kohli, Usha Uthup, William Dalrymple, Ila Arun, Priyanka S Kaintura, Riddhi Bahl, Shabnam Minwalla, SV Raman and Sunil Bhandari among others.
This edition will feature the much-anticipated shortlist announcement of the 10th edition of the prestigious Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. The festival will provide the first look at Ruchir Joshi's much-anticipated new novel, giving readers an exclusive sneak peek into the literary gem to come. Further, the launch of Arjun Sengupta’s Shyam Benegal: Film- maker of the Real India, Anand Neelakantan’s Many Ramayanas, Many Lessons, Ira Mukhoty’s The Lion and the Lily and Sunita Kohli’s The India Cookbook:From the tables of my friends, shall be witnessed at the festival.
The Oxford Junior Literary Festival (OJLF), hosted at the Oxford Bookstore, promises an enchanting experience for young readers through a variety of engaging activities. Highlights include interactive "meet the author" sessions, hands-on activities, interaction, and captivating storytelling sessions. With a mission to inspire a passion for literature and foster creativity, the OJLF seeks to spark the imaginations of the younger generation. Concurrently, the Poetry Café at Alliance Française du Bengale will offer an energetic stage for both seasoned and emerging poets to present their work, encouraging a vibrant exchange of ideas and artistic creativity.
The three-day festival enjoys the support of esteemed partners - Kenilworth Hotel, as the Hospitality Partner; Cha Bar for Refreshments; Calcutta Business School, ILead and Teacher's Centre as the Institutional Partners; and Glenburn Penthouse and Alliance Française du Bengale as Festival Collaborators along with The Park as the Festival Partner and Flurys as Gifting Partner. Additionally, 91.9 Friends FM serves as the Radio Partner. The event will feature contributions from numerous prominent publishing houses, fostering a collaborative and lively literary ambiance. To name a few- Aleph Book Company, Bloomsbury, Hachette, HarperCollins, Harvard University Press, Jadavpur University Press, Juggernaut, Niyogi Books, Penguin Random House, Readomania, Routledge, Rupa Publications, Speaking Tiger, Vitasta Publishing, Westland Books, and many others.
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