Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival concludes

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept.9: The third edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival concluded in Lalitpur on Sunday. The two-day event, themed 'Nepal: The Gateway to Asian Art, Culture, and Literature,' which had over 50 sessions ended with a high note that the fourth edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival will be held on September 13-14, 2025.

During the event, legendary poet Dr. Bhuwan Dhungana was honoured with the Yashaswi Sahitya Samman and Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, Sanjeev Sanyal and Achyuta Samanta were honoured with the Yashaswi Samman. 

Additionally, the Yashaswi Book Award 2081 was presented to six books across five categories.

The awardees include Devvrat for his poetry collection ‘Aswasthamako Nidharbata Bagmati Bagchha’; Muna Chaudhary for her fiction ‘Laar’ and Momila Joshi for her non-fiction ‘Prashnaharu Ta Baki Nai Rahanchhan’, an award she shares with Arun Gupta for ‘Sanskriti Chintan’.

Additionally, Rohini Rana’s ‘The Nepal Cook Book’ (English) and Yagyaraj Upadhyay’s research work ‘Kali-Karnaliko Lok Sahitya Tatha Sanskriti’ were also recognised. Each recipient received a prize of Rs. 20,000 along with the award.

The festival brought together over 300 writers from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries.

According to Ranjana Niraula, Director and Founding Member of KLF-Kathmandu, The Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival celebrated the longstanding cultural ties between Nepal, India and South Asia, while offering a platform for deep discussions on the evolution of global cultures.

Rashmi Ranjan Parida added that the festival serves as a common platform for cultural exchange between Nepal and India. 

At the Festival, during the session titled ‘Life Dedicated to Nepali Films,’ Rajesh Hamal, in conversation with Rupesh Shrestha, dismissed the notion that the Nepali film industry is stuck.

 “The Nepali movie industry is in its moment, and when something is in the moment there will, of course, be challenges ahead,” he said. “Some people may like the journey, others may not, but the industry is moving forward.”

The Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival was organised in collaboration with Yashaswi Pragya Pratisthan and Himalayan Diary Pvt Ltd, with Surya Nepal Gatha as a supporter and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Nepal as the presenting sponsor.