Rajasthan Literary Festival to start in Jodhpur from Mar 25

Jaipur: In line with Jaipur Literary Festival (JLF), the state government is all set to organise the Rajasthan Literary Festival (RLF) in Jodhpur. The three-day event will be held at Janana Bagh from March 25.“Following Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s announcement in the Budget speech, we were scheduled to start this festival in 2020 itself. But that did not happen due to the outbreak of Covid. This year, we will organise the inaugural edition of the festival – officially named as Sahitya Kumbh – in Jodhpur. As the name suggests, we are going to organise RLF in different districts on a rotational basis,” said BD Kalla, art and culture minister. The event will showcase various types of literary events. Besides, the government will give four all-India awards in the name of four literary personalities of the state - Sarvashri Kanhaiya Lal Sethia, Komal Kothari, Sitaram Lalas and Vijay Dan Detha. In addition, the event will also host a book fair and even food festival featuring authentic dishes from the state. “Our youths are more attracted towards western culture. This will be a platform for them to know the heritage and literature of the state. If they study literature, they will know the history, culture, rituals and traditional lifestyles of the state,” added Kalla. Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) will be the prime organiser of this event. “RLF is being organized under the guidance of the CM to strengthen Rajasthan’s literary identity and promote culture. Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi, Urdu Akademi, Sanskrit Akademi, Nehru Bal Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi and other academies would make this event a success,” said Gayatri Rathore, principal secretary of the department.