By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 30: The Shillong Literary Festival is set to welcome some of India’s most esteemed literary and cultural figures, with the legendary singer Usha Uthup as a special guest.
Uthup is celebrated for her powerful voice and unique blend of jazz and Indian music performed in multiple languages.
The literary festival will showcase notable writers, including Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih, a prominent poet and professor at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), who has been long-listed for the prestigious JCB Prize for Literature.
Also featured will be Vikram Seth, acclaimed for his literary masterpiece A Suitable Boy, one of the most recognised novels in Indian English literature.
Additionally, Anita Agnihotri, a distinguished author and retired IAS officer from Kolkata, will participate, with her work advocating for social justice and the rights of marginalised communities.
The line-up also includes authors Jerry Pinto and Shobhaa De, both significant voices in Indian literature. Pinto, an award-winning writer, translator and journalist, is known for his critically acclaimed novel Em and the Big Hoom, which explores themes of mental health and family dynamics.
On the other hand, Shobhaa De is celebrated for her work in both fiction and non-fiction and is recognised for her incisive social commentary on urban Indian society.
It is noteworthy that, unlike yesteryears, where the festival had a minimal entrance fee similar to the nominal charge for Ward’s Lake entry, this year a ticket price of Rs 100 has been introduced.