Nainital Literature Festival to kick off on April 25

Nainital: The Nainital Literature Festival (NLF), scheduled to be held from April 25-27 at Mountain Magic, Charkhet in Nainital, was unveiled by the festival's founder and director Amitabh Singh Baghel during a curtain-raiser event at the town's Boat House Club on Sunday.The event included two key sessions: "Where is India Headed?" with author Gurcharan Das and Amitabh Singh Baghel, which explored India's economic growth, governance, and global role, and "Tareekh Mein Aurat," in which author Ashok Pande and Prof Syed Ali Hamid discussed women's evolving role in history, focusing on power, patriarchy, and cultural influences.The upcoming three-day festival will include the participation of more than 50 distinguished speakers from diverse fields such as mythology, film, law, diplomacy, culinary arts – including authors, artists, intellectuals, and performers – promising a dynamic mix of conversations, panel discussions, book launches, signings, music performances, local craft and food stalls.Emphasising on the vision behind the festival, Baghel said, "NLF seeks to explore the vast expanse of human experience through storytelling, fostering a rich environment for intellectual exchange and cultural celebration. The festival's core mission is to build a community united by the universal language of stories, drawing connections between local voices from Uttarakhand and global perspectives."Stressing the festival's commitment to accessibility, Baghel said, "NLF is a ticket-free event, where everyone is welcome." He said that the festival will feature sessions in multiple languages — including Hindi, English, and Urdu — spanning genres from fiction to non-fiction, poetry to prose, and catering to both children and adults. With over 20 authors and more than 100 books to be showcased across three days, books will be at the heart of this celebration.The NLF is being mentored by Prof Pushpesh Pant, a prolific author, historian, and food critic, and a Padma Shri awardee. The festival's advisory board includes Anshu Khanna, a recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar, and Aparna Kanda of the Vaaradhi Foundation, with contributions from Deepak Balani, a renowned theatre artist.Additionally, Pushpesh Pant said the festival garnered enthusiastic support from Kumaun University students, who are actively volunteering for the event. "Their involvement infuses the festival with youthful energy and academic vibrancy," he said.

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