Golpo Utsab 2025: A Unique Celebration of Literature, Creativity, and Storytelling
Ashesh Sengupta
February 11, 2025
The Story Festival 2025 (Golpo Utsab) has created an unforgettable experience for literature enthusiasts in the state. Organized jointly by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Egye Chalo Sangha and Akhyaner Bikel, this two-day festival transformed the 'Arindam Nath Manch' at the Sangha premises into a hub of literary discussions, storytelling, and cultural expressions. With the convergence of eminent writers, artists, and enthusiastic readers, the festival explored the evolution, challenges, and possibilities of Bengali storytelling.
The grand opening ceremony commenced on February 8 with a vibrant literary gathering. Renowned novelist Amar Mitra graced the event as the chief guest, alongside distinguished personalities such as Dulal Ghosh, president of Akhyaner Bikel, Chanchal Nandi, president of Egye Chalo Sangha, Sumant Gupta, editor, and Dr. Nirmal Das, director of Sahitya Akademi’s NECOL division. Also Subrata Chakraborty, Cultural Advisor to the Government of Tripura was present.
The festival was formally inaugurated with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, followed by a welcome address by Dr. Pratyush Deb, the festival convener, who emphasized the significance of such an event in fostering literature and cultural dialogue. Several dignitaries, including Dr. Nirmal Das, Subrata Chakraborty, Dulal Ghosh, and Chanchal Nandi, shared their thoughts on the need for such literary platforms.
As an invited guest, Amar Mitra spoke about the immense power of storytelling, its artistry, and its significance in Bengali literature. He praised the initiative of organizing a dedicated Story Festival in Tripura.
One of the key highlights of the first day was the Story Recital Session, where selected works of prominent writers were read aloud by well-known literary artists. Alakananda Chowdhury recited the works of Bimal Chowdhury, while Suman Bhattacharya and Gopa Sengupta presented stories by Alak Dasgupta. Similarly, Santosh Roy performed pieces by Subhashish Chowdhury and Pinakpani Deb, while Dr. Samit Roy Chowdhury’s work was narrated by Parichita Roy Chowdhury. The day concluded with a reading of Dr. Shyamapad Chakraborty’s story by Udayashankar Bhattacharya, with the session skillfully anchored by Kakali Ganguly.
On the morning of February 9, the festival grounds saw a gathering of literature lovers and participants. The main stage hosted engaging discussions, storytelling sessions, and special lectures, while the adjacent club hall was abuzz with various creative competitions.
The day began with an insightful talk by Amar Mitra. Meanwhile, the competitions commenced in the club hall, providing young talents with opportunities to showcase their creativity. These included Pure Bengali Spelling Competition: assessing contestants’ grammatical accuracy and language proficiency, judged by Pratyush Deb, Nidhir Roy, and Shibjyoti Dutta.
Illustration Contest (Drawing competition): a unique challenge where participants created illustrations based on a given story, judged by Abhijit Bhattacharya, Mitali Ganguly and Manish Bhattacharya.
Story Writing Contest (Bose Galpo Lekho): an opportunity for budding writers to craft compelling narratives.
From 10:30 AM, participants and eminent authors engaged in short story recitals, each allotted ten minutes to read their work. At 12:00 PM, a thought-provoking discussion on 'The State of Storytelling in Tripura: Problems and Prospects' was presented by Dr. Paramashree Dasgupta.
Following the lunch break, the afternoon sessions continued with another round of story readings by celebrated authors. Dr. Sayak Mukherjee delivered a compelling analysis of 'The Evolution of Bengali Short Stories in the Last 25 Years', shedding light on the changing trends in contemporary storytelling. Later, performances by Pintulal Saha, Milli Roy Chowdhury, Nitai Banik, and Jaya Chakraborty Banik brought Arpita Acharya’s story to life.
As the sun set, the festival reached its grand conclusion. The award ceremony took center stage, with Mrs. Kalyani Roy, Chief Whip of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, attending as the chief guest.
Winners of various competitions were honored with prestigious awards like Arindam (Jishu) Bhattacharya Memorial Award for story writing, Ashwini-Kiran Memorial Award for storytelling illustrations, Brajendra-Shibendu Memorial Award and Kamala-Mitali Memorial Award for the Bengali spelling competition. Each category’s first, second, and third-place winners received cash prizes and certificates, celebrating their creative achievements. The festival’s concluding session was smoothly conducted by Udayashankar Bhattacharya, Sanchita Raha, Bipasha Chakraborty, and Sangita Dewanji.
The Golpo Utsab 2025 was not just a literary event; it was a celebration of Bengali culture and creativity. The festival grounds also featured a Little Magazine and Publisher's Pavilion, attracting readers and publishers from across the state. Renowned publishing houses and Little magazines showcased their latest works, further enriching the literary landscape.
The festival also received widespread media attention. Rising Tripura Channel broadcasted the inaugural event live, while Tripurainfo.com served as the official web partner. Doordarshan Agartala and various local news outlets also covered the event, bringing the literary celebration to a larger audience.
This festival successfully bridged the gap between established and emerging writers, encouraging new voices while honoring seasoned storytellers. As the event drew to a close, the organizers assured that next year’s festival would be even grander and more inclusive.
The echoing sentiment among attendees, participants, and organizers was clear—the Golpo Utsab will return, bigger and brighter, fostering the timeless art of storytelling once again.
(Tripurainfo)