Fifth Tata Steel Literary Meet in Odisha Concludes On High Note

Bhubaneswar: The fifth edition of Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet (TSBLM) concluded on Sunday with the promise of celebrating creative arts in future also. From literature to theatre, music to cinema, TSBLM brought together a gamut of artistes from Odisha and beyond for engaging and enriching sessions on a host of relevant topics.

Committed to celebrating the language and culture of Odisha, the final day of TSBLM included sessions celebrating Odia poetry. A captivating session with city poets such as Chitta Ranjan Mishra, Sonali Sahu and Sarita Naik was followed by performances by Gayatribala Panda and Manu Dash. Dash had earlier kicked off the day’s events with a panel discussion on the Odia translation of Chandrahas Choudhury’s Arzee the Dwarf, which was shortlisted for the Commonwealth First Book Award. 

Of the many highlights of the day was Anand Neelakantan’s session on how modern readers resonate with the grey characters of the epics. Acclaimed author Kunal Basu spoke about his new book, Saorjini’s Mother, while celebrated journalist Bachi Kakaria enthralled the audience at the venue while recalling her reportage of criminal cases that captured the nation’s imagination.

The literary extravaganza concluded with a spellbinding performance by Biswa Kalyan Rath. In his inimitable comedic style, Rath held the hundreds gathered for his performance mesmerised as he presented his unique perspective on topical subjects that connect with today’s youth. 

From the inauguration of the event and keynote address by Lord Meghnad Desai and heartwarming anecdotes from Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s rich life, to the scintillating performances of veteran actor Amol Palekar and new age spoken word poetry from Priya Malik – the past three days of the TSBLM saw packed audiences who engaged in pertinent dialogue with the delegates.