Raipur, Jan 22: The three-day Raipur Literature Festival 2026 is set for a grand opening on 23 January at the Purkhouti Muktangan premises. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh will inaugurate the event as the chief guest, while Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai will preside over the ceremony.
The inaugural function will commence at 10:30 AM at the Vinod Kumar Shukla Pavilion. Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh will attend as the special guest of honour. Other distinguished guests include Deputy Chief Ministers Arun Sao and Vijay Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Dr Kumud Sharma, and renowned actor Manoj Joshi.
The festival will feature a national book fair, open talent stages, painting workshops, and cultural performances. To honour literary legends, the main venues have been named after icons such as Vinod Kumar Shukla, Lala Jagdalpuri, Shyam Lal Chaturvedi, and Aniruddh Nirav.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who launched the festival’s anthem song at Mahanadi Bhawan on Thursday, stated that the event would strengthen the state’s cultural identity. “The gathering of eminent litterateurs and thinkers in Raipur is a matter of pride. This festival will provide a platform for literary dialogue and inspire the younger generation,” the CM said.
The festival schedule includes four sessions daily, covering diverse topics such as contemporary women’s writing, digital literature, tribal discourse, and the evolution of literature from Upanishads to Artificial Intelligence (AI). A highlight of the first day will be the staging of the play ‘Chanakya’ by Manoj Joshi at 7:00 PM.
Key discussions over the three days will also delve into “Maoist Terror and Democracy,” “National Media Debates,” and “Cinema and Society.” The event aims to blend traditional wisdom with modern perspectives, featuring a Kavi Sammelan in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the second evening.