Konark, Odisha

The Chandabhaga Poetry Festival (CPF) 2025, scheduled for January 11-12, promises to be a celebration of diverse poetic voices and cultures. Hosted at the historic town of Konark, in collaboration with Centurion University and the Institute of Knowledge Societies (IKS), the festival will feature an engaging lineup of sessions, discussions, and performances by renowned poets from India and around the world.

A Platform for Poetic Diversity

With over two days of events, the Chandabhaga Poetry Festival 2025 is set to celebrate the power of poetry in fostering cross-cultural connections and dialogue. This year’s festival reflects the growing importance of multilingual expression and cross-border collaboration in the arts.

The Chandabhaga Poetry Festival 2025 features an impressive lineup of poets and critics from around the world. Participants include Christopher Merrill, Prof. Debi Prasanna Pattanayak, Jatin Das, Arun Kamal, Sukrita Kumar, E.V. Ramakrishnan, Manoranjan Mohanty, Savita Singh, Supriya Patnaik, Prabhat Kumar Basu, Chandrabhanu Pattnayak, Saroj Mohanty, Bina Sarkar, Sebanti Ghosh, Ashutosh Parida, Durga Prasad Panda, Jitendra Srivastava, Anshuman Kar, Swapan Mishra, Sharmila Ray, Yuyutsu Sharma, Anita Nahal, Nishi Chawla, Sujata Sahani, Satyendra Bhoi, Pratiskha Jena, Chirasree Indrasingh, Satyapriya Mishra, Ramesh Kartik Nayak, Punam Vasam, Meenakshi Mohan, Praful Basu, Jayanta Parmer, Kabir Deb, Kinshuk Gupta, Rabindra R Swain, Aditya Das, Aye Brandon Kiwen, Kavi Yakoob, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid (Ashraf Dali), Smita Sahay, Sutunaku Ghosh, Ashutosh Dubey, Daniel Raika, Hemant Dalapati, Sabin Iqbal, Anuradha Singh, Hindol Bhattacharjee, Narendra Bhoi, Salma, Rukaya M.K., Kamalkar Bhatt, Meenakshi Mohan, Jayadratha Suna, Sebanti Ghosh, Satyananda Bhoi, Sreelakshmi Chakraborty, and Ashwani Kumar. This diverse group of luminaries ensures a vibrant and inspiring celebration of poetry, blending voices from various regions and traditions.

Day 1 Highlights (January 11, 2025)

Inauguration:

The festival will commence at 10:00 AM with an inaugural session featuring addresses by key dignitaries, including Manoranjan Mohanty, Chairperson of CPF, and Prof Supriya Patnaik, Vice-Chancellor of Centurion University. Esteemed critic and poet Prof Debi Prasanna Pattanayak will deliver a keynote on “Odia as a Classical Language.”

Poetry Book Releases: The opening ceremony will also mark the release of selected works, including the highly anticipated Posters Poems by the iconic Jayanta Mahapatra.

Panel Discussions and Celebrations: The morning sessions will include panels on trends in Indian poetry, with insights from EV Ramakrishnan and others. A special session celebrating the legacy of Jayanta Mahapatra will feature reflections from prominent poets like Rabindra K Swain and Swapan Mishra.

Cultural Evening: The day will culminate with a cultural evening featuring a traditional “Pot Gan” performance by Rupashree Nayak and her team.

Day 2 Highlights (January 12, 2025)

Morning Sessions: The second day will open with a multilingual poetry session highlighting voices like Sujata Sahani and Hemant Dalpai. Following this, the festival will explore themes of vanishing lands and poetic identities, with contributions from Sonya Jha and Kabir Deb.

Multilingual and Cross-Border Poetry: An afternoon session titled “Singing Turtles, Dancing Peacocks” will feature poets like Jayadratha Suna and Narendra Bhoi, alongside a global panel.

Valedictory Session: The festival will conclude with a valedictory session led by Christopher Merrill, an acclaimed poet and the Director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Merrill’s address, titled “Blending Past & Present: Poetry of Future,” will be followed by a final vote of thanks by the organizing team.

Book Releases: The CPF 2025 will also unveil a range of new poetry collections, including Rangasha Ki Rasoi by Arun Kamal and Prema Eka Bilupta Pakhi Ra Na by Durga Prasad Panda.

Read: 16th Issue of Odiya Literary Magazine ‘Mahuri’ unveiled

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