The second edition of Parallel Literature Festival (PLF), which started last year as an answer to the Jaipur Literature Festival, will be organised here from January 27 to 29 to provide a forum to distinguished personalities from the fields of literature, art, culture and cinema. Speakers have been invited from 20 States as well as from Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Colours of the words will flourish on the lush green lawns, art galleries, studio theatre and open air theatre of Jaipur’s cultural centre, Ravindra Manch, where the three-day event will be held. The six stages to be set up at the venue will be named after the writers and books of the Progressive Writers’ Movement.
The PLF-2019 has been dedicated to Urdu writer Razia Sajjad Zaheer, who was born in Ajmer, as the country celebrates her birth centenary year. Festival’s chief convenor Ish Madhu Talwar said here on Tuesday that the Ravindra Manch would be named and decorated as “Razia Gram” to commemorate the celebrated author.
Mr. Talwar, general secretary of the Rajasthan Progressive Writers’ Association, said the growing “lit fest merchandise culture”, which aimed at corporatisation of literature and arts, was at an unease with the initiatives like the PLF. He said the PLF was opposed to the nexus among the tourism, hotel and publication industries for holding big literary events.
There will be 115 sessions during the three days of PLF, highlighting the important contemporary issues, poetry, fiction and creativity and giving space to dialogues, debates, recitals and special lectures. The inaugural ceremony will witness the participation of veteran historian Irfan Habib and writers Asghar Wajahat, Mamta Kalia and Noor Zaheer. (EOM)