Kathmandu-Kalinga Literary Festival Concludes, Deepening Odisha-Nepal Cultural Ties
Kathmandu/Bhubaneswar: The fourth edition of the Kathmandu-Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) concluded on Sunday at Hotel Himalaya in Lalitpur, Nepal, further strengthening the enduring literary, cultural, spiritual, and civilizational bonds between Odisha and Nepal.
The two-day festival brought together renowned writers, artists, thinkers, and cultural figures from across South Asia, serving as a vibrant platform for dialogue, creativity, and cross-border cultural exchange.
The festival was inaugurated by former Chief Justice and former Acting Prime Minister of Nepal, Sushila Karki. Prominent Odia literary personalities, including Pratibha Ray, Paramita Satpathy, and Upendranath Behera, showcased Odisha’s rich literary heritage during the event.
Addressing the inaugural session, Festival Director Ranjana Niraula emphasized that literature extends beyond words and books, representing a celebration of shared culture, memory, empathy, and human potential. She described the festival as a platform that nurtures dialogue, understanding, and meaningful connections among people across borders.
“Literature has the power to transcend geographical boundaries, transform linguistic differences into intimacy, and build invisible bridges between human beings,” she said.
Speaking as the chief guest, Sushila Karki reflected on her literary journey and the relationship between literature and society. She noted that literature is rooted in lived experiences, social realities, and human emotions rather than imagination alone. Recalling the works of Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck, she highlighted how literature captures the essence of society through observation and experience.
Highlighting the festival’s significance for Odisha and the wider South Asian region, Rashmi Ranjan Parida said the Kathmandu edition featured panel discussions, keynote lectures, poetry recitations, musical performances, interactive author sessions, book launches, workshops, cultural programmes, and literary collaborations.
He noted that the festival explored how South Asian literature, art, and intellectual traditions engage with contemporary issues such as identity, inclusivity, spirituality, cultural transformation, and social change.
The festival attracted an impressive lineup of distinguished personalities, including celebrated singer Ila Arun, acclaimed actor-writer Piyush Mishra, writer-filmmaker Raj Shekhar, and spiritual thinker Acharya Prashant.
Other notable participants included Vikas Swarup, Badri Narayan, Malini Awasthi, Narayani Basu, Vikram Sampath, and several eminent writers, scholars, artists, and intellectuals from across South Asia.
The successful conclusion of the festival reaffirmed the growing cultural partnership between Odisha and Nepal while highlighting the role of literature as a bridge connecting diverse societies and shared civilizational traditions.