Sahitya Akademi's annual fest begins on Tuesday

Over 200 distinguished writers, scholars, poets, translators and critics from all over India are all set to participate in Sahitya Akademis annual "Festival of Letters," starting here on Tuesday.

During the Festival, the Akademi will present its annual awards for creative writing and hold its Annual Exhibition, the Samvatsar Lecture and a National Seminar on a topic of literary importance, among other events.

The theme for this year's Festival is Folklore and Oral Literature of India, Akademi said in a statement.

The Akademi exhibition (showcasing glimpses of Akademi's activities in 2016) will be inaugurated by eminent Sanskrit scholar Prof. Satyavrat Shastri on Tuesday morning.

Sahitya Akademi Awards will be conferred on 24 writers on Wednesday at Kamani Auditorium here.

Eminent scholar and Historian Ramachandra Guha will be delivering "Samvatsar Lecture" on Thursday. The topic of his lecture will be "The Craft of Historical Biography".

"This year, the festival is starting on 21st February 2017, which is the international Mother Tongue Day and the Akademi is also organising a two-day National Seminar on "Protecting Mother Tongues," where a number of literary stalwarts will participate," Sahitya Akademi Secretary K Sreenivasarao said.

A number of cultural events have also been scheduled for the evenings. These include Lai Haraoba, a Mao and Kabuli Dance by Jawaharlal Manipur Dance Academy, Baul songs by Raja Hasan, Bharatnatyam by Sandhya Purecha and Kutch Music by Kala Varso Trust, among others.

The Festival of Letters will culminate on February 26.

--IANS

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