News Desk, News Nation 360 : The three-day literary extravaganza that took place at four prestigious locations—Allen Park, Alliance Française du Bengale, Oxford Bookstore, and Tollygunge Club—the 15th edition of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) came to an end. On the last day of the 15th AKLF, Priti Paul, Director of the Apeejay Surrendra Group, said in a statement that after three fascinating and thought-provoking days, AKLF 2024 has concluded. There was something for everyone, young and old, poetry enthusiasts and fans of popular fiction like fantasy, science fiction, and romance. The day's major concerns, such as current events, women's empowerment and the empowerment of girls, and climate change and the environment, were given due consideration. There were also engaging talks about the journey of books into OTT and food writing, so the lighter side was not overlooked. Seeing a diverse range of people taking in the lively ambience, perusing the books at the bookstore, and paying close attention to the talks taking place on stage was heartening. They are eagerly anticipating the upcoming AKLF edition. The "Of Shapeshifters and Other Worlds" session kicked off the day. Carina Rozenfeld and Indrapramit Das, authors of fantasy fiction, talked about creating alternative realities with the help of the French Institute, Alliance Française du Bengale, and the French Embassy. Suzanne Heywood, Coonor Kripalani, and Baishali Chatterjee Dutt told their true-life adventure stories during the "Look, We Have Come Through" session. In the workshops Sci-Fi Rule (sponsored by the French Embassy, French Institute, Alliance Française du Bengale, and Song Sung Blue: Pop Culture and the Right), Pierre Bordage, Vivaan Shah, and Indrajit Hazra talked about writing science fiction. Sandip
Roy spoke with Ruchir Joshi and Kunal Purohit. Authors Somnath Batabyal and Santanu Bhattacharya discussed how the modern Indian experience is evolving in the Fragile Homelands session with Sandip Roy. Following that, author Durjoy Datta led a heartfelt discussion about his impending romantic novel, "Heart and Soul," which is based on timeless love tales. The session was moderated by RJ Nilam. In the subsequent meeting, participants shared captivating stories about food and culture using Magic Wands of Memory. Journalist Divrina Dhingra spoke with food writers Tabinda Jalil-Burney and Tarana Khan about the tastes and aromas that influence the identity of Indians. The Bosean myth was further illustrated in an engaging session with The Reluctant Physicist, where author Sudipto Das spoke with Debanjan Chakrabarti, the Director of British Council, East and North East India, about Jagadish Chandra Bose's new biography. Authors Arshia Sattar and Urbi Bhaduri participated in the Meet the Author event at Oxford Bookstore as part of the Oxford Junior Literary Festival (OJLF). They spoke with middle school students about their respective works, which include Translations of Epics and Translations of Abanindranath. Even on its third day, the festival enthralled readers with its array of offerings at the Poetry Café, organised by Alliance Française du Bengale, Park Mansions. Poetry enthusiasts participated in the opening event, an open mic session, where they performed original poems. Renowned poets such as Ananya Chatterjee, Sufia Khatoon, Ipsita Ganguly, Amanita Sen, Utpal Chakraborty, and Roop Majumdar participated in the Poetic Café and read recent poems to the audience during the Poets Circle session. The Kenilworth Hotel in Kolkata is the hospitality partner for the three-day literary festival. Cha Bar is the refreshment partner, 93.5 Red FM is the radio partner, and iLEAD and Apeejay School are the institutional partners. Among the esteemed partners of the 15th Apeejay Literary Festival are the Australian High Commission, Alliance Française du Bengale, and Tollygunge Club.
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