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Kolkata Literature Festival to host French, Scottish writers in book fair

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Kolkata, Feb 6 (IANS) A number of French authors, a panel of Scottish crime writers, a poet and poetry activist from the US and diplomat-turned-politician Shashi Tharoor will be present at the fifth edition of Kolkata Literature Festival (KLF) this year, organisers said on Tuesday.

Known to be the only festival of its kind to be organised within the fold of an international book fair, the three-day literary extravaganza would be held from February 8- 10 in the Central Park Mela Complex in Salt Lake, where the International Kolkata Book Fair has been shifted this year.

“This is the only literature festival in the world that is organised within an international book fair. This is a unique feature of this festival. There is a captive audience of at least 25-30,000 present at the fair ground on a daily basis. They get a chance to hear from and also interact with their favourite authors from India and abroad,” Tridib Chatterjee, General Secretary of the Publishers & Booksellers Guild, told reporters.

More than 60 authors from India and abroad would participate in 22 sessions of the KLF, discussing and debating topics like cross cultural influences on literature and significance of classics to performance poetry.

“As France is the focal theme of the book fair this year, 10 French authors would be participating in the various sessions in KLF. There would also be a crime writers’ delegation from Scotland and famous American poet and poetry activist Bob Halman among others,” said festival director Sujata Sen.

“There would be sessions on Hindi poetry and on how the Indian epic are coming out as bestsellers even in the present times,” she added.

Congress MP and noted writer Tharoor is also scheduled to be present at the festival to discuss his new book “Why I am a Hindu”, that recently courted controversy after criticism from Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on social media.

Former Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva would take part in a discussion on the country’s present political scenario while contemporary Indian author Ravinder Singh and ‘Bahubali’ author Anand Neelakantan would share their literary views.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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