0
Shares
The third edition of the Tikapur Literature Festival 2082 will be held from Chaitra 13 to 15, organizers announced at a press conference on Saturday. Organized by the Tikapur Literature Society under the theme “Social Harmony Through Literature,” the three-day festival will place special emphasis on Tharu literature and cultural heritage.
According to the organizers, the festival will feature 21 panel discussion sessions, with seven sessions each day, each lasting one hour. The event will open with a keynote lecture titled “Our Caste, Language, and Culture” by renowned linguist Madhav Prasad Pokharel, the creator of alphabets for Nepali and over 60 other languages.
Tharu communities are predominantly found in Nepal’s Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya, and Dang-Deukhuri regions. Festival founding coordinator and author Mahesh Bikram Shah stated that the event aims to preserve, promote, and strengthen Tharu language, folklore, and culture, which form a vital part of Nepal’s indigenous identity.
The festival will host discussions involving scholars, experts, activists, researchers, and citizens on topics including language, literature, art, culture, education, society, politics, and development.
A key highlight of the festival will be the Sudurpaschim Poetry Festival, featuring poets from the Sudurpaschim Province. Cash prizes of NPR 15,000, 10,000, and 5,000 will be awarded to first, second, and third place winners respectively, along with certificates. Selected poems will be published in an anthology.
Organized in collaboration with the Sudurpaschim Academy, the festival is primarily promoted by the Sudurpaschim Provincial Government, with Tikapur Municipality and Janaki Rural Municipality as promoters. The Nepal Tourism Board serves as co-promoter, while Agricultural Development Bank, Laxmi Sunrise Bank, and Everest Bank are sponsors.
To promote local tourism, participants will enjoy a boat ride on the Karnali River on the arrival day, followed by a Tharu Cultural Evening. A book exhibition will run throughout the festival.
