Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated the first edition of Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet at Lalitkala Akademi, Regional Centre here.
Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik laid emphasis on the need of focus on regional literature.
“Literature is something that gives meaningful insight into life. Volumes of literature are there in various regional languages but do not get the limelight they deserve. Therefore, it is pertinent to mention that we now need to focus on translation for the growth of local literature," he pointed out.
The chief minister later unveiled an Odia version of ‘Romance of Tata Steel’ translated by Arabinda Behera.
Present on the occasion were acclaimed journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and other dignitaries from the field of literature and media.
Speaking on the occasion, Tata Steel MD, TV Narendran said Odia literature has a rich legacy of eminent writers and marvellous collections of their literary work. The Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet is a wonderful platform for all lovers of books and literature in Bhubaneswar to celebrate their love for literature and exchange of ideas.
“This year’s edition of the Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet will witness a confluence of the brightest literary minds from across the nation. For us at Tata Steel, it is an opportunity to connect and engage with people across generations in the state,” he added.
The two-day event will witness meaningful debates and discussion.
Among those who will be part of the literary meet are Devidutt Patnaik, Dinanath Pathy, Nibedita Mohanty, Sampad Mohapatra, Avirook Sen, Derek O’Brien, Sarnath Banerjee, Nila Madhab Panda, Prof Sugata Bose, Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Kunal Basu, Yajnaseni Chakraborty, Balaji Vittal, Sujit Mohapatra, Dr Minati Mishra, Anant Mahapatra, Jatindra Nayak and Sabyasachi Mishra.
It is worth mentioning here that this Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet is the second event under the ‘Tata Steel Odisha Utsav’ banner. The five-day long festival will conclude with Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Half Marathon being organized in association with the state Sports and Youth services department, on Sunday at Kalinga Stadium here.