Bhubaneswar, Jan 11: The first edition of Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet was formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Lalitkala Akademi, in the presence of T V Narendran, MD Tata Steel, India & SEA. Present on the occasion were acclaimed journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Senior Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh and other dignitaries from the field of literature and media. During the inauguration session, Odia version of ‘Romance of Tata Steel’ translated by Arabinda Behera was launched by Naveen Patnaik.
While lauding Tata Steel for this initiative in literary field, Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha emphasized on the need of focus in regional literature and said “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”.
Speaking on the occasion, T V 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”.
The two days long 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, Nil Madhab Panda, Sugata Bose, Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Kunal Basu, Yajnaseni Chakraborty, Balaji Vittal, Sujit Mohapatra, Minati Mishra, Anant Mahapatra, Jatindra Nayak, Sabyasachi Mishra.
