U'khand to host Kumaon Festival of Literature and Arts

With major focus on wildlife conservation and sustainable living, the two-day Himalayan Echoes -- Kumaon Festival of Literature and Arts 2017 -- is all set to begin on October 7 in the sublime Himalayas.

The festival will kick-off at Nainital's Abbotsford Heritage Hotel and conclude at The Gateway Resort in Corbet on October 8.

Mentored by eminent literary personalities Namita Gokhale and Rishi Sur, the festival strives to celebrate the cultural and literary aspects of the Kumaon region.

"Looking forward to the autumn splendour of the mountains and to the resonance of Himalayan Echoes this coming weekend," said Gokhale in a statement.

The two-day long festival will host a gathering of artists and literati from across India.

The focus will be on M.K. Ranjithsinh, Janaki Lenin and Prerna Bindra, who would raise concerns about the raging environmental issues.

Vani Tripathi will discuss Indian cinema and music in her session titled "Jungle Mein Mangal - Music of the Forest and Nature" during the festival, produced by Siyahi, a leading literary consultancy in India.

Sessions like "Sustainability and Organic Livelihood in Uttarakhand" and "Saving the Lake District" have been carefully crafted to lend to this year's theme.

Ira Pande will re-create the iconic stories written by her mother Shivani, an eminent writer from Kumaon.

Kalptaru Magazine, an initiative of the Kalptaru Vrikshmitr Organisation, will be launched by Ranjithsinh, Ritesh Bhatt and Miteshwar Anand.

"It's a platform to encourage authors, poets and other creative minds to help make a change of peoples' mindsets and habitats. It's time to give back to Uttarakhand and what better way to engage the young and old, in a meaningful dialogue, to give a voice to the talent of writers, artists, singers of Kumaon in the most scenic setting of the lake town," said Festival Director Janhavi Prasada.

--IANS

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