Guwahati: The 3rd Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival (PLF) 2025 began on November 14 in Guwahati’s Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra, ushering in a three-day celebration of Assamese literature, art, and heritage.
Internationally acclaimed author Shefali Baidya opened the festival with a keynote in Assamese, invoking the timeless songs of Dr Bhupen Hazarika. Baidya’s performance stresses the linguistic richness of the region.
The chief guest, Nanda Singh Barkola, known for his distinguished writing, was also one of the esteemed guests at the function. Barkola highlighted the need for the revival of pre-Sankari traditions by referring to the late cultural icon, Bhupen Hazarika’s celebrated song, ‘Karbi Anglong Otiu Numoliya’. He acknowledged Assam's deep cultural legacy. Barkola also talks about the country’s growing global eminence.
Additionally, Lt. General (Retd) Rana Pratap Kalita, chairman of the organising Sankardev Education & Research Foundation (SERF), and Phanindra Kumar Dev Choudhury, PLF president, also graced the event with their valuable speeches.
Furthermore, celebrated lyricist and composer Gautam Sharma conducted the first panel discussion, “Transformation and Expansion of Assamese Lyric Literature: From the Nineties to the Present Era.” The cultural voices of Tarun Kalita, Diganta Bharati, and Ibson Lal Baruah shared thoughtful optimism regarding the future of Assamese as a living language.
Subsequently, a poetry recital by 14 poets, both budding and established, was the highlight of the first day. The festival also released its official magazine, ‘Pragjyoti’. Floral tributes to Assamese icons like Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, and flautist Deepak Sharma were paid to commemorate their contribution to the Assamese culture.
Organised under the theme “In Search of Roots,” PLF 2025 is all about reconnecting the younger generation to the intellectual traditions of Assam. The program included panel discussions, nature writing workshops, and multilingual poetry sessions, all reflecting the region’s diverse cultural fabric.
The festival is being seen as a timely reaffirmation of Assam's literary identity even as conversations grow around language preservation and cultural revival in the state.