Kanpur Literature Festival Now Celebrates Shivani’s Legacy:Know It All

Akshar 2023: celebrating the enduring legacy of hindi novelist shivani at iit kanpur’s literature festival”

The vibrant celebration of the legendary Hindi novelist Shivani’s birth centennial took centre stage at the captivating second edition of Akshar 2023, a notable three-day literature festival held at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) from October 15.

The Kanpur literature festival, a collaborative effort between the Shivani Centre for the Nurture and Reintegration of Hindi and Other Indian Languages, the Rajbhasha Prakoshth, the Appreciation and Promotion of Art, Culture, and Heritage (APPROACH) Cell of IIT Kanpur, the Hindi Sahitya Sabha (an IIT Kanpur student body), and Gaatha (a SIIC IIT Kanpur incubated company), echoed the spirit of linguistic originality and cultural pride, as mentioned in the press release by IIT Kanpur.

Established by Muktesh Pant, an IIT Kanpur alumnus from the class of 1976 with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering, the Shivani Center was founded in loving memory of his revered mother, Smt. Gaura Pant is a prominent 20th-century Hindi writer known by her name “Shivani.” The Kanpur literature festival marked a noteworthy tribute to Shivani’s literary legacy, commemorating her extraordinary contributions to Hindi literature.

In the words of Prof. Kantesh Balani, the Coordinator of the Shivani Centre and the Dean of Resources and Alumni at IIT Kanpur, “Akshar embodies our enduring dedication to fostering linguistic creativity and nurturing a sense of pride and confidence in the realms of Hindi and other Indian languages. This year’s Akshar promises a vibrant fusion of literary marvels, soul-stirring music, stimulating conversations, and a diverse array of performances, all poised to captivate and inspire our campus community.”