IIT Kanpur to host 3-day literature festival 'Akshar'

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur will host the first-ever Akshar Literature Festival on its campus from October 14–16, 2022. The Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC) of IIT Kanpur, Rajbhasha Prakoshth, the Shivani Centre for the nurturing and re-integration of Hindi and other Indian languages, and Gaatha, an audio hosting platform, collaborated to create the event.

The occasion is a celebration of Hindi novelist Gaura Pant, commonly known as Shivani, and her life and accomplishments. She was a well-known author with readers all over the nation and was a pioneer of the strong female protagonist in fiction at the time. Pushpesh Pant, Mrinal Pande, VeeruSonker, and Pankaj Chaturvedi, among many others, are among the poets, performers, and literary and academic experts who will be present at the festival. At the occasion, the institute will also put up a book market with notable publishers. On October 14, an open mic and an open mic will be held on the “Aaj Ke Daur Mein Sahitya ki Praasangikta” panel. On October 15, a “MahaKavi Sammelan” will be held. On October 16, a discussion on Shivani’s literary works will be held.

The story-telling group Katharang will also perform a recital of Shivani’s well-known works at the occasion.

The festival, held in the outreach auditorium on October 14 and 15 and the main auditorium at IIT Kanpur on October 16, 2022, is only loosely open to the public. The purpose of the programme is to familiarise guests with Hindi literature and author Shivani