GANGTOK, Oct 16: The Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival (SALF) will be held at The Ridge Park in Gangtok from October 28 to 30, bringing together writers, poets and thinkers from across India alongside performances by Indian Ocean and Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe.
The three-day event will feature literary discussions, poetry, live music and cultural exchanges centred on identity, memory, belonging, history and life in the Himalayas, according to a statement from the Sikkim government’s Students’ Welfare Board (SWB).
MLA Aditya Golay said the festival would celebrate voices and stories that place the Himalayas within India’s wider cultural landscape. SWB chairman Sonam Chopel Sherpa said it would give young people an opportunity to explore diverse literary traditions and recognise their own languages and experiences as part of a broader cultural conversation.
The literary programme will feature Chuden Kabimo, Mamang Dai, Nawaraj Parajuli, Ranjit Hoskote, William Dalrymple, Yuvan Aves, Guru T Ladakhi and Stephen Alter, among others. Discussions will explore the relationship between people, culture and the mountains, including themes of home, borderland identities, language and belonging.
Delhi-based Aagaaz will open the festival on October 28 with a tribute to ghazal legends Mehdi Hasan, Begum Akhtar and Noor Jehan. Flautist Kartikeya and percussionist Makrand will perform on the morning of October 29, followed by Indian Ocean in the evening.
Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe will headline the closing programme on October 30. The band is known for blending Indian folk music with rock, reggae, pop and Carnatic influences in contemporary interpretations of the works of 15th-century mystic poet Kabir.
The organisers said the festival aims to strengthen Sikkim’s cultural profile while bringing young audiences, emerging writers and artists into conversation with established figures from the literary and cultural world.
