Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: The second edition of the Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival hit its stride on October 29 at The Ridge Park in Gangtok. Crowds gathered for the second day of the three-day event, which runs through October 30. Students, writers, and art lovers filled the park for a packed schedule of workshops, poetry readings, and cultural shows.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang started the festival. The Education Department’s Students’ Welfare Board presents the event, and Teamwork Arts, the group behind the Jaipur Literature Festival, produces it. Admission costs nothing. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Big names occupy the stage. William Dalrymple, Mamang Dai, Ranjit Hoskote, Stephen Alter, and Chuden Kabimo are among the thinkers leading sessions on climate change, wildlife, mental health, and Northeast Indian folklore. Soreng-Chakung MLA and Chief Patron Aditya Golay says the event breaks away from traditional elitism. "We don't have a VIP culture. We are doing something new. There are no everyday VIPs, just students, litterateurs and arts enthusiasts. Anyone can come, join our sessions and interact," Golay said.
The event brings in visitors from across India and abroad. Local hotels and restaurants are seeing a boost as the festival gains steam. Organizers hope to lock this into the state's permanent cultural calendar to tie literature to tourism. They want to turn Sikkim into a major stop on the national festival circuit.
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