The 5th edition of the Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet (TBSLM) concluded here on Sunday.
From literature to theatre, music to cinema, the event brought together a gamut of artistes from Odisha and beyond for engaging and enriching sessions on a host of relevant topics.
Committed to celebrating the language and culture of Odisha, the final day of TSBLM included sessions celebrating Odia poetry. A captivating session with city poets such as Chitta Ranjan Mishra, Sonali Sahu and Sarita Naik was followed by performances by Gayatribala Panda and Manu Dash. Dash had earlier kicked off the day’s events with a panel discussion on the Odia translation of Chandrahas Choudhury’s Arzee the Dwarf, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Book Award.
Of the many highlights of the day was Anand Neelakantan’s session on how modern readers resonate with the grey characters of the epics. Acclaimed author Kunal Basu spoke about his new book, Saorjini’s Mother, while celebrated journalist Bachi Kakaria enthralled the audience at the venue while recalling her reportage of criminal cases that captured the nation’s imagination.
The literary extravaganza, which promotes all avenues of creative pursuit, concluded with a spellbinding performance by Biswa Kalyan Rath.