Ziro: The Ziro Literary Festival, held annually alongside the Ziro Festival of Music in September, is back for its fourth edition, promising two days of intellectual stimulation, artistic expression, and community engagement. Scheduled for September 27–28, 2023, the festival is hosted by Arunachal’s premier educational institute, Saint Claret College in the picturesque town of Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh.
The Ziro Literary Festival is more than just a celebration of literature; it is a platform that fosters inter-cultural exchange, dialogue, and the nurturing of creative talents. This year’s festival continues its tradition of inviting award-winning writers, journalists, thinkers, and artists to engage in thought-provoking discussions, readings, and workshops.
The outcome-based workshops encourage participants to bring out their own literary and artistic works. These workshops will help the students to write short and long-form pieces and hone their poetic skills while training them in visualisation through graphic storytelling.
The event and workshops are open to all and serve as an opportunity for participants to share their knowledge, learn new skills, and explore their creativity.
Conversation on the civic role of Arunachal’s arts organisations: ‘Relevance, risks and rewards’.
Father Dr Allwyn Mendoz, Principal, Saint Claret College and Mmhonlumo Kikon, Poet and Politician, released a copy of the anthology created by students of the college as part of the workshops at Ziro Literary Festival in 2022
Day 1 – September 27, 2023:
The festival will begin with a welcome address by Chief Guest Bamin Nime, Deputy Commissioner of Lower Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh. Thereafter, Fr Dr Allwyn Mendoz, Principal of Saint Claret College will deliver the keynote address, followed by a panel discussion on ‘Tribal Customary Laws and the Modern World’ which will have Ranju Dodum, a journalist from Arunachal Pradesh moderating the discussion with Social Activist and Politician Jarjum Ete, critically acclaimed writer Prof NN Hina and gender rights advocate Gaby Miyum Damin. Later, Banwang Losu will engage in a conversation with Makepeace Sitlhou exploring the future of tribal literature. The discussion on ‘India’s Northeast and Its Neighbours,’ with feature Former Indian Diplomat Gautam Mukhopadhyay, Editor-in-Chief of EastMojo Karma Paljor, moderated by Sadiq Naqvi, an independent journalist reporting from the region. The concluding part of the day will witness the discussion ‘So you wrote a book. Now what?’ with authors Rita Chowdhury and Tanuj Solanki, moderated by Makepeace Sitlhou.
Day 2 – September 28, 2023:
The second day will kick off the welcome address by Smti Amina Nabam, Circle Officer, Lower Subansiri District, Arunachal Pradesh. Following this, Lovekesh Vig, who leads the Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence research area at TCS Research in New Delhi, will present a talk on ‘Bracing for Impact: Navigating the Creative Seas with Generative AI.’ A panel discussion titled ‘Writing in Vernacular Versus Mainstream Language’ will offer insights from World Hindi Awardee Dr Joram Aniya, Rita Chowdhury and Ranju Dodum. Participants will dive into the future of content creation through the discussion among actor and writer Merenla Imsong, podcaster and entrepreneur Asalie Peseyie, entrepreneur Avantika Haflongbar and Karma Paljor. The day will wrap up with a session on performance poetry titled ‘Persistence of Memory,’ presented by the renowned Indian artist Samudra Kajal Saikia.
During ZLF 2022, The Poetry Hour featured a lineup of poets including Mamang Dai, a Padmashree awardee and highly regarded novelist; Ponung Ering Angu, a renowned folklorist; Saint Claret College’s very own Gyati TM Ampi, exceptional artist and poet Samudra Kajal Saikia, and Subi Taba, an award-winning writer and poet. The session was hosted by award winning poet Madhu Raghavendra.
Father Dr Allwyn Mendoz, Principal, Saint Claret College shares, “This year, the festival continues its tradition of hosting a series of enriching workshops designed to nurture creativity and provide valuable learning experiences. The Ziro Literary Festival has always been about fostering a sense of community and celebrating the written and visual arts. With an exciting line-up of workshops and sessions, this year’s festival promises to be an unforgettable gathering of creative minds.”
The festival is being organised in association with Oil India Limited, along with the support of District Administration of Lower Subansiri.
Man Booker Prize shortlisted author Jeet Thayil at the Ziro Literary Festival in 2019
This year’s workshops will feature graphic novel and animation workshop by artist and filmmaker Samudra Kajal Saikia along with Pankaj Saikia, visual storytelling workshop by FTII graduate, teacher and professional editor Lavanya Ramaiah, poetry workshop by award-winning poet Aditi Rao, writing workshop by Sahitya Akademi Yuva Awardee Tanuj Solanki and storytelling workshop by professional storyteller Shubha Das. In these workshops, the participants will churn out creative works which will be displayed during ZLF.
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Visit www.zirofestival.com/zlf for more information.
Also Read | Ziro Festival to host Israeli musicians in collaboration with Embassy of Israel
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