The city is set to host a celebration of language, literature and culture as Bhasha & Beyond – Literary Warriors Group (LWG) Lit Fest 4.0 makes its Lucknow debut on October 3 and 4 at the Metro Railway Officers Club, Metro Officers Colony, Jail Road. The two-day festival will bring together literary and cultural voices from different creative fields. Adding a star touch to the festival will be actor Sadiya Siddiqui, who will be the chief guest and will participate in a session titled Guftagu with Sadiya Siddiqui: Behind the Silver Screen, discussing her journey in cinema and the performing arts.The festival will also see the participation of acclaimed voices from literature, music and the performing arts, including playback singer Sanjeevani Bhelande, actor and former Army officer Md Ali Shah, multilingual poet and classical vocalist Kasturika Mishra and Urdu poet Ambar Kharbanda, among others.
Sanjeevani Bhelande (L) and Ambar Kharbanda
The open-to-all programme will have free entry and will feature book launches, panel discussions, poetry, mushaira, storytelling and writing workshops in Hindi, Urdu, English and Awadhi. The festival will also include open mics, multilingual poetry sessions, writing contests, music and cultural performances.Talking about the event, Col Salil Jain, a core team member, said, “This will be the fourth edition of the literary fest and we are bringing it to Lucknow for the first time, following the previous edition in Pune. Lucknow has a rich and diverse literary tradition, making it a fitting choice to celebrate the many languages and literary cultures of the country in the city.”-Amina Ashraf
