Third edition of Lucknow Literary Festival begins Friday

The third edition of the Lucknow Literary Festival (LLF) will commence in Uttar Pradesh Friday, its organisers announced Wednesday.

At the three-day festival, Pandit Birju Maharaj will be felicitated with the Wajid Ali Shah Award.

The festival - an initiative of Lucknow Society - will witness a galaxy of writers, speakers, thinkers, poets and performers sharing one platform, the organisers told IANS.

The third edition of the festival, which will be held in the heart of the city at King George Medical University's Scientific Convention Centre, is also set to showcase the famous 'Lucknowi tehzeeb' (etiquette) to its audience.

Entry to the festival is free and open to all, attracting visitors from across the globe, they said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will inaugurate the event Friday after which the festival will see discussions on art, culture, music and poetry.

It will also witness book launches, dance performances and cultural activities.

Eminent personalities like Namvar Singh, Ravinder Singh, Preeti Shenoy, Nandita Pandey, Naresh Saxena, Munawwar Rana, Richa Lakhera, Ipsita Halder, Gopaldas Neeraj, Salman Khurshid and Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui will be attending the event.

Shamim A. Arzoo, the organising secretary of the festival said: "The city of Lucknow has welcomed and supported the festival since it began. The literary tradition of our city is known to all and the occasion provides the opportunity to connect with new minds every year. We hope that the tradition of discussion and debate will further strengthen."

Ravinder Singh's upcoming book "Your Dreams are Mine', Preeti Shenoy's "It happens for a reason and Munawwar Rana's "Teen Shehron Ka Chautha Aadmi" are some of the books that will be launched during the festival.

Qawali, Awadhi lokgeet, Kathak, and Ghazals would be some of the musical performances staged during the event.