Sixth Edition of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob to Commence Today
Kolkata, 15 January 2021: The sixth edition of the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU) curated by Oxford Bookstore in association with Prabha Khaitan Foundation, commenced today. Keeping in mind the ability to connect with people transcending boundaries, due to the recent digital revolution, the edition is being held online on the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob official Social Media Pages. Held over two days – 15 and 16 of January 2021, the festival offers an array of discussions and dialogues between delegates from India, Bangladesh and Germany.
Welcoming the audience to the festival, Mr Swagat Sengupta, Festival Director comments , “ Going by the motto-digital is the new local- ABSU will be held online keeping in mind the ease of access, the broadening of participation, the availability of viewing the sessions at convenience and interacting with the delegates while observing health and safety norms. With the rising popularity of Social Media content and OTT platforms due to its worldwide reach, India’s first and only Bangla Literary Festival this year will exceed geographical boundaries, making it possible for the viewers to listen and interact with stalwarts of Bangla literature from the comforts of their homes around the globe. The 6th Edition of the Festival will feature sessions paying tribute to the legendary film-maker Satyajit Ray and actor Soumitra Chattopadhyay. It will also have discussions on sports literature, post-adulthood writings, the charting of black magic from lores to literature and many others. Going truly global this year, the Festival will have delegates from three countries- India, Bangladesh and Germany discussing global Bangla literature.”
Coming on board for the first time as Associate Partners, Manisha Jain, Communication and Branding Chief, Prabha Khaitan Foundation comments- “The genesis of the Foundation had been crafted to connect the world of literature to as many as possible. We function in nearly 35 cities of India and overseas promoting literature hosting events in various languages like Bangla, English, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Odia, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Tamil, Kannada, Gujarati, Magahi, Rajasthani, etc. By collaborating with Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob, we aim to explore the richness of our Bengal's regional roots and cherish the true soul of literature."
The two-day festival will have eight enriching discussions on various topics.
Coming up on 15th January 2021:
The inauguration will be followed by Lekhaye Khela : Khela Niye Lekhalikhi (Sports-writing in Literature) from 4 pm – 5 pm , a session exploring the world of sports literature in contemporary times. What was started by the iconic Moti Nandy seems to be going through a rough patch now. Does sports writing have a relevance in present literature? Are authors willing to write fiction / non-fiction or biographies and auto biographies? What does the voice of the Fourth Estate have to say about the same? These and much more will be explored during the session. The panelists include Debashis Dutta, Senior Sports Journalist; Sabyasachi Sarkar, Poet, Novelist and Sports Journalist; Sambit Basu, Journalist; moderated by Arpan Gupta, Print and Social Media Sports Writer.
#Yubasahitya: Bartaman Bangla Sahitya Yubajiboner Kotha Koi (Post-adult hood literature in Bengali) from 5 pm – 6 pm explores post-adulthood youth literature. Does this crucial time in an individual’s life which portrays the turbulences one faces right after college to balancing personal and professional worlds, career, romance and societal influence find sufficient reference in modern Bengali Literature? Addressing this prime question the panelists in conversation include Binod Ghoshal, Sahitya Academy Award-winning writer; Debarati Mukhopadhyay, Writer, Academician and Motivational Speaker; Sadat Hossain, Writer, Poet, Novelist, Playwright and Director from Bangladesh; moderated by Roy Choudhury, Former Radio Jockey and Voice Artist.
On the occasion of Satyajit Ray’s birth centenary, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob pays a tribute to the Oscar winning film-maker on his birth centenary through the session Felu-Sankhu-Tarini-Banku: Sataborshe Sahityik Satyajit (Satyajit Ray-The Man behind Felu-Sankhu-Tarini-Banku) from 6 pm – 7 pm. Though primarily known for his critically acclaimed movies, one cannot forgo his literary contributions through his memorable characters. The discussion highlight his contributions in the field of literature and the mind behind shaping these extraordinary characters. The panelists include Debashis Mukhopadhyay, Ray Researcher and former journalist; Prasenjit Dasgupta, writer; Riddhi Goswami, Academician and Editor; moderated by Sujoyneel Bandhopadhyay, Television Host. The session is presented with Aakhar, a property of Prabha Khaitan Foundation.
Jolpropater NaamJibon : Soumitra Chattopadhyay Sahitya Bhabhna (Soumitra Chattopadhyay: the Litterateur) from 7 pm – 8 pm is a tribute to the legendary actor and theatrician, post his recent demise. The accomplished actor was also a noted author of poems and plays. Delving deeper into his literary side the panelists share their personal experiences and the psyche of the personality that led him to create those plays and poems. The speakers include Poulami Bose, theatrician; Yashodhara Ray Choudhury, poet; Amitav Nag, writer and critic; moderated by Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee, interdisciplinary artiste.
All the sessions will be broadcast LIVE on the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob Facebook and Youtube Pages and are available for viewing post the Festival.
Coming up on 16th January 2021:
Day 2 of the sixth edition of the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob goes global and looks into the world of Bengali literature through global perspectives. The Festival begins with the session Taranather Paye Paye : Bangla Sahitye Tantra Charcha (Dark Magic in Bengali Literature) from 4 pm to 5 pm. Black magic has always been a significant theme in Bengali folklore and of late has earned a deserving position and acceptance in mainstream literature. The panelists deliberating about the same include Avik Sarkar, Author and Entrepreneur; Soumitra Biswas, Author; Tanzim Rahman, Author from Bangladesh; moderated by Riju Ganguly, Translator.
This will be followed by Kali-Kolom-Mon: Dui Banglar Somosamoyik Sahitya (Contemporary Literature of the Two Bengals) from 5 pm to 6 pm exploring the contemporary literary trends in West Bengal and Bangladesh including the likes of short stories, poems, novels, theatre and other forms of literary expressions. The panelists include writers Sirsho Bandhopadhyay and Sayantini Putatunda from West Bengal and Paromita Heem, Journalist and Writer from Bangladesh. The session will be moderated by Sourav Bisai, Writer, Publisher and Editor.
Cinemaye Sahitya: OTT O Bangla Sahitya (Cinema and Literature: From Pages to OTT’s) from 6 pm to 7 pm highlights the emerging trend of OTT Platforms and the scope of digital content in terms of creation, execution, marketing and consumption in close relevance to Bengali Literature. Are literary works being digitized enough? What is the scope and acceptance of the same by the audience? Are sleuth series dominating the literary to OTT Platform scene? Many such questions will be answered by Debaloy Bhattacharya, Director; Anirban Chakraborty, Actor; in conversation with Mounita Chattopadhyay, Tv host.
With the world being brought closer due to the digital revolution, Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob brought together notable names from the world of literature from around the world. The Festival is the first of its kind platform to bring together international names in Bengali Literature through the session Deshe Bideshe : Banglar Baire Bangla Sahityacharcha (Home and The world: Bengali Literature Around the Globe) from 7 pm – 8 pm. The panelists include Prof. Shamsuzzaman Khan, Chairman, Bangla Academy, Dhaka; Agni Ray, poet and essayist; Dr Dwaita Hazra Goswami, Author and Editor; moderated by Sunandan Roy Chowdhury, Editor, Eastern Review.
Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob has always prided on being a platform for the traditional and upcoming voices to come together and deliberate on various topics. This year, the festival goes global in terms of its delegate and deliberation scope and audience viewership. The inception of the new into the old is what drives evolution in literature or language and the Festival hopes to continue its journey on that path for years ahead.
The sixth edition of ABSU will stream LIVE on the official Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob Facebook and Youtube Page on 15- 16 January 2021, 4 pm onwards.
For more information, visit the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob Social Media Pages:
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Website: https://absuonline.com/en/
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