Himalayas to play host to Kumaon literary festival

The Kumaon Literary Festival (KLF) would be held from October 23-27 at Te Aroha located in Dhanachuli, an enchanting little village in the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, and in Abbotsford in Nainital.

This first edition of the literary fest will host authors, poets, cinema and media professionals, political commentators and opinion makers of the country.

"KLF is an experiential festival. It is deep in context but relaxed in format," said Sumant Batra, the festival founder.

The idea behind holding the fest in Dhanachuli is that the hilly region of Uttarakhand shares a special relationship with literature.

This strong bond between writers, poets and Uttarakhand exists even today, as there have been and still are many writers who belong to this place or have made it their home.

Some prospective speakers at the festival include Shekhar Pathak, Anuja Chauhan, Mrinal Pande, Namita Gokhale and film personalities Rajat Kapoor and Fahad Samar among others.

The fest will witness discussions on forgotten legends of Indian cinema, role of women in ancient India, 'The jungle lore of Jim Corbett' by Suhel Seth, and Hindustani poetry connecting the common man to literature.

Planned and conceptualised by Barkha Dutt (journalist), Anuj Bahri (literary agent), Janhavi Prasada (filmmaker) and others, KLF is supported by UN Women and Uttarakhand tourism board.

On its last two days, the festival will travel to Nainital where events will be held in Abbotsford, a heritage property and other locations, making KLF arguably the first travelling literary fest in the country.