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Over 65 writers to take part in 6th Kolkata Literature Festival

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Kolkata, Jan 21 (IANS) Over 65 writers, including three established Dalit writers, will enrich the audience at the sixth Kolkata Literature Festival (KLF) which is part of the 43rd International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF), organisers said on Monday.

“Over 65 writers, both established and new from 9 countries including India, will attend this unique literature festival that is organised as part of the book fair that attracts nearly 2.4 million visitors,” Sujata Sen, Director of KLF said.

The 12-day book fair, beginning January 31, is slated to be inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the presence of Euda Morales, an author of Guatemala, Tridib Chatterjee, said secretary of Publishers and Booksellers Guild.

Sixth Kolkata Literature Festival will be held from February 7 to 9 along with the book fair which closes on February 11.There will be speakers from nine countries, including India.

Sen said there will be around 24 sessions on varied topics such as ‘changing face of publishing’, ‘security of the nation’, ’50 years of Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ (Satyajit Ray’s film) and so on.

“Arvind Gupta, a former Deputy National Security Advisor, has written a book ‘How India Manages Its National Security’ will attend the festival,” she said.

However, Sen refused to divulge any other names of writers who would take part in the festival.

The central American nation Guatemala — the heart of the Mayan World — is the focal country this time along with 26 participating countries such as Russia, Costa Rica, Spain, Scotland, Australia, Argentina and Bangladesh.

February 1 will be marked as the Guatemala Day and the Asoke Sarkar Memorial Lecture will also be delivered.

The fair would have halls named after eminent writers Nirendranath Chakraborty, Dibyendu Palit, Atin Bandopadhyay and Pinaki Thakur who passed away recently.

Noted Bengali author Mani Shankar Mukhopadhyay, who writes under the pen name Shankar, will be given a special award this year.

“We have a new slogan ‘Buy books and win a library’ to encourage further reading. Lucky winners will get books of their choice worth Rs 1 lakh,” Chatterjee said.

As the fair’s regular venue Milan Mela is undergoing renovation, the fair would be held at the Central Park in Salt Lake, and stalls of approximately 600 publishers and 200 small magazines will be set up.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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