Dateline Dehradun – The Valley of Words International Literature and Arts Festival is set to host its eighth edition, featuring the Hindi Literature Festival – ‘Shabdavali,’ in collaboration with Graphic Era Hill University. The three-day event will occur from September 27th to 29th at the university’s campus.
Leading up to its flagship event in Dehradun on November 16th-17th, Valley of Words is organizing various events around shortlisted authors in Indore, Pune, Delhi, and Chennai. The Hindi Literature Festival 2024 will showcase a marathon of sessions, discussions, poetry readings, and presentations by renowned authors, moderators, translators, and literary figures.
This year’s line-up includes Upasana, Joram Yalam Nabam, Prabhat Singh, Ramita Gurav, and Subhash Nirav, who will engage with students, faculty, and the broader literary community.
The festival will commence on September 27th with a special inaugural session featuring poet Praveen Shukla and the launch of Dr. Sanjeev Chopra’s widely discussed book, Hum Bharat Ke Rajyon Ke Log: Bharat Ki Antarraashtreey Seemaon Ka Nirman aur Punarnirman translated by Sachin Chauhan. The launch will be graced by the Surveyor General of India, Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana, Vice Chancellor Dr. Sanjay Jasola, and the VoW Hindi Magazine, Sadaneera, which features reviews of all 40 shortlisted books for 2024.
Beyond literary sessions, the festival will host cultural programs, photography exhibitions, painting showcases, digital art displays, and book fairs.
On September 28th, the birth anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, a special session will commemorate his literary contributions through letters, essays, and ideas. Amardeep Singh will present an audio-visual presentation on “Akhandata kay Prateek: Guru Nanak” (Symbol of Integrity: Guru Nanak).
Renowned poets like Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai, Budhinath Mishra, Neelesh Raghuvanshi, Anjum Sharma, Mamta Kiran, and others will grace the poetry sessions. The festival will also delve into critical topics such as Women and Literature and Literature from Uttarakhand. A discussion on senior litterateur Sudha Rani Pandey’s work “Amartav ki Oar” is also scheduled. Senior poet Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai and Divyanshu Patel, IAS, will explore the life, works, and contributions of litterateur Rahul Sankrityayan, particularly his association with Dehradun-Mussoorie.
Dr. Sanjeev Chopra, Founder of Valley of Words, and Vice Chancellor Dr. Sanjay Jasola emphasized the festival’s significance in promoting literature in the sacred land of Uttarakhand. For enthusiasts of literature and culture in India today, this event is a golden opportunity to meet and engage with their favourite authors.
