Noted poets to be conferred with Mystic Kalinga Literary Award
To celebrate the creative spirit of Bhubaneswar and commemorate the literary diversity it offers, Odisha Diary Foundation (ODF) and Odisha Media Info Service (OMIS) Private Ltd organise annual Mystic Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) every year, bringing together best minds in the world of literature within and outside of Odisha and India.
This festival of verse, music, dance, and discussion dedicated this year to the concept of Bhakti and will be held in Bhubaneswar and Chilka from January 5 -7, 2019
Noted poet Ashok Vajpeyi and Harihar Mishra will be conferred with prestigious Mystic Kalinga Literary Awards this year. This was informed by the Mystic Kalinga Festival, Director, Rashmi Ranjan Parida. The award has been instituted to recognise and celebrate three prolific writers, poets, and performers in Odia, in one Indian language, and in one international language. The awardees have been chosen keeping in mind their contribution to their specific language and genres. The awards will be announced on January 3, 2019.
Ashok Vajpeyi is a noted Hindi poet, critic, essayist and translator, and a dynamic presence in the Indian cultural scene. He is the author of thirty-eight books of poetry and criticism in Hindi and the founder/editor of eight journals in Hindi and English. He is the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1994) for his book Kahin Nahin Vahin.
Harihar Mishra is known for his versatility as a dramatist as well as the writer of prose and poetry. As a dramatist, he has worked on major works such as Chilika Tire for the radio and among his famous poetry books - Dibya Asantosh stands tall. He had won the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award way back in 1977 for his drama Ratira Duiti Dena.
Prateek Pattanaik will also be felicitated with the Mystic Kalinga Literary Award (Special Citation) during the festival. Prateek Pattanaik is a young researcher of Odia literature and Odissi music. Prateek's work consists of several projects to create digital documentation of vulnerable cultural practices including performing arts, musical traditions, lesser known monuments, neglected languages, and palm leaf manuscripts. Apart from that, Prateek research and write about Odisha's ancient culture on the lines of mythology, the arts, and ethnomusicology.
It should be noted that for the last three years Mystic Kalinga Festival has set a global benchmark in literary festivals. This year more than 100 celebrities from the world of literature, music, cinema, dance, the theatre will assemble in the temple city of Odisha to deliberate on the theme of 'From the Carnal to the Cosmic: A Celebration of Bhakti Poetry'.
Eminent writers and Odisha's living legends like Sitakant Mahapatra, Ramakanta Rath, Pratibha Ray, and others will join the festival as guests of honour and speakers.
Renowned writer Hindi poet and critic Ashok Vajpeyi will be the keynote speaker of the event and several Sahitya Akademi and Padma Awardees will be joining to discuss how literature transcends boundaries of artificial human creations and emotions.
"Mystic Kalinga Festival is a celebration of bhakti. In a festival that is both celebratory and exploratory, the aim is not merely to discuss bhakti, but to distill its very essence. And hence we will see the remarkable diversity of modes and styles at this festival. Poets, dancers, storytellers, and musicians are as integral to this unique event as scholars and academics", said Mystic Kalinga Festival, creative director, Arundhathi Subramaniam.
Mystic Kalinga Festival - Director and Founder, Rashmi Ranjan Parida said, "Literature has the potential to connect a divided society and it can transform self-centeredness to world-centeredness. Kalinga Literature Festival was first launched in 2014 to celebrate this potential of literature. Mystic Kalinga Festival, an international festival of poetry and performances, emerged out of the need to connect to people's hearts through poems, songs, dances, performances, and meditations".
