The Raipur Literature Festival 2026 kicked off with grandeur at Purkhouti Muktangan in Nava Raipur. Held in Vinod Kumar Shukla Pavilion, the inaugural ceremony featured Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh as chief guest with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presiding. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao, Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Vice-Chancellor Dr Kumud Sharma, and actor Manoj Joshi were special guests. CM’s Media Advisor Pankaj Jha, journalist Anant Vijay, and Chhattisgarh Sahitya Akademi Chairman Shashank Sharma also shared the dais. Marking Chhattisgarh’s 25th anniversary, releases included a state commemorative booklet, a coffee table book on litterateurs, J Nandkumar’s National Selfhood in Science, Prof. Anshu Joshi’s Laal Deewaren, Safed Jhooth, And Rajeev Ranjan Prasad’s Tera Raj Nahin Aayega Re.

 

Speaking on the occasion Harivansh paid homage to late writer Vinod Kumar Shukla, praising Chhattisgarh’s ancient literary tradition and cultural preservation. He highlighted Kabir’s ties to Kawardha and quoted Maithilisharan Gupt to emphasize literature’s power to inspire and guide society. Noting India’s economic rise and 2047 developed nation goal, he credited literature for fueling self-reliance in steel, rice, and startups. CM Sai called Chhattisgarh Lord Ram’s maternal homeland, hailing the festival as a “literary Kumbh” with 120+ writers from across India debating contemporary issues in 42 sessions.

 

Timed for the Republic’s Amrit Kaal and state’s silver jubilee, it symbolizes cultural pride. Equating the freedom struggle to Samudra Manthan, Sai said fighters endured “poison” for future “nectar.” He cited Makhanlal Chaturvedi’s poem Pushp ki Abhilasha and Madhavrao Sapre’s Ek Tokri Bhar Mitti as early Hindi milestones, honoring writers like Lochan Prasad Pandey, Padumlal Punnalal Bakshi, and Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh. The Triveni Museum in Rajnandgaon preserves their legacy, he noted.

 

Pavilions in honor of Vinod Kumar Shukla, Shyamlal Chaturvedi, Lala Jagdalpuri, and Anirudh Neerav have been erected where litterateurs will deliberate on various topics, Sai said and stressed poetry’s role in resisting injustice. Recalling Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s inspiring verses like “Haar nahin manunga…,” and Dushyant Kumar’s Emergency-era lines Sai said that Youth participation signals a vibrant literary scene. He also paid tribute to satirist Surendra Dubey on the occasion. Deputy CM Arun Sao dubbed lieterary festival as a “Mahakumbh” on Basant Panchami, crediting Chhattisgarh for Hindi giants. Dr. Sharma positioned literature as key to Atmanirbhar Bharat and cultural self-awareness, calling India a hub of humanism. Post-inauguration, sessions delved into literature, culture, democracy, and society amid strong youth turnout. The festival promises a milestone in literary discourse and cultural expansion.