The Kalinga Literary Festival 2026 will take place in Bhubaneswar from January 8-11, featuring over 400 writers, artists, scholars and public intellectuals from India and abroad
Now in its twelfth edition, the four-day festival at Mayfair Lagoon will include discussions, readings, workshops and performances across five venues
Running alongside the literary sessions, the 10th Kalinga Art Festival will showcase leading painters, sculptors, and visual artists
Kalinga Literary Festival 2026: Booker Prize Winners To Lead Line-Up In Bhubaneswar
Booker Prize winners Deepa Bhasthi, Banu Mushtaq and Daisy Rockwell are among the first names confirmed, alongside prominent Indian authors such as Vikas Swarup, Anand Neelakantan and Perumal Murugan
Summary
The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) will return to Bhubaneswar from January 8-11, 2026, bringing together more than 400 writers, artists, scholars and public intellectuals from India and overseas. Now in its twelfth edition, the four-day programme at Mayfair Lagoon is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of literary voices in the region, featuring discussions, readings, performances and workshops across five venues.
Among the first names announced are acclaimed Booker Prize winners Deepa Bhasthi, Banu Mushtaq, and Daisy Rockwell, who will headline the festival’s international line-up. Rockwell is widely known for her award-winning translations, including Tomb of Sand, while Mushtaq and Bhasthi have earned recognition for Heart Lamp.
The opening list also features a number of distinguished Indian authors. Vikas Swarup, diplomat and author of Q & A, the novel that inspired the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire; Anand Neelakantan, noted for his bestselling mythological retellings; and Perumal Murugan, celebrated Tamil novelist and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient, are among those confirmed. Poet, curator and critic Ranjit Hoskote, and Anuja Chandramouli, author of popular mytho-historical fiction, are also expected to be at the festival.
Other names include Milan Vohra, Shahid Siddiqui, K. Vasuki, Bhawana Somaaya, Dr Samir Parikh, Dr Rajiv Kumar, Mani Rao, Hindol Sengupta, Milee Ashwarya, Kanishk Gupta, Swati Chopra, Preeti Shenoy, Rahul Pandita, Deepa Agarwal, Prof Jatindra Kumar Nayak, Chitra Subramaniam, K. K. Gopalakrishnan, Malini Awasthi, Subroto Bagchi, Divya Dutta, Himanjali Sankar, and filmmaker Sabyasachi Mohapatra.
Spread across five venues, this year’s programming will cover a wide range of subjects including contemporary fiction, poetry, translation, history, philosophy, climate change, mental health, AI and technology, identity, and public policy. The festival continues to emphasise India’s multilingual literary traditions, bringing together voices from regional, national and global contexts.
Running parallel to the literary sessions will be the 10th Kalinga Art Festival, showcasing leading painters, sculptors, and visual artists. The 2026 edition aims to reaffirm its role as a meeting point for diverse ideas, celebrating both established and emerging voices.
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