Gangtok, Oct 15 The Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival (SALF) will return to Gangtok from October 28 to 30, bringing together writers, poets and thinkers from across India, alongside musical performances by Indian Ocean and Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe.
The three-day festival, to be held at The Ridge Park, will feature literary discussions, poetry, live music and cultural exchanges centred on identity, memory, belonging, history and the Himalayan experience, according to a statement issued by the Students’ Welfare Board (SWB) of the Sikkim government.
MLA Aditya Golay said the festival would provide a platform to celebrate the voices and stories that make the Himalayas an important part of India’s cultural landscape.
The literary programme will feature writers and poets such as Chuden Kabimo, Mamang Dai, Nawaraj Parajuli, Ranjit Hoskote, William Dalrymple, Yuvan Aves, Guru T Ladakhi and Stephen Alter, among others, the statement said.
Sessions will explore the relationship between people, culture and the mountains, with discussions on the meaning of home, borderland identities, language and belonging.
SWB Chairman Sonam Chopel Sherpa said the festival would give young people an opportunity to engage with diverse literary traditions and recognise their own languages, experiences and stories as part of a wider cultural conversation.
The festival will open on October 28 with a performance by Delhi-based Aagaaz, paying tribute to legendary ghazal singers, including Mehdi Hasan, Begum Akhtar and Noor Jehan.
On the morning of October 29, flautist Kartikeya and percussionist Makrand will perform, while the evening will feature Indian Ocean..
The festival will conclude with a performance by Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe, which gives contemporary musical interpretations to the works of 15th-century mystic poet Kabir by blending Indian folk with rock, reggae, pop and Carnatic music, the statement said.
SALF aims to strengthen Sikkim’s position as a cultural destination and create opportunities for young audiences and emerging writers and artists to interact with established literary and cultural figures, the organisers said.
(PTI News)
