Kathmandu, May 31
The 4th edition of the Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) will be held on June 6–7 at Hotel Himalaya, Lalitpur. The announcement was made by Rashmi Ranjan Parida, Founder, Director & Curator of the Kalinga Literary Festival.
The central theme of Kathmandu KLF 2026 will be “Beyond Borders: South Asian Literature in a Changing World.”
The festival will explore how South Asian literature, art, and intellectual traditions are engaging with contemporary global realities, cultural transformations, identity, inclusion, spirituality, and social change.
“The 4th Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival will celebrate literature, music, poetry, cinema, dance, and diverse artistic traditions. The festival will further strengthen the long-standing cultural and literary ties between Nepal, India, and South Asian countries in the context of emerging global cultures,” said Rashmi Ranjan Parida.
The festival will witness participation from several eminent personalities from literature, cinema, music, diplomacy, spirituality, and public life. Highlighted participants include legendary singer and actress Ila Arun, renowned author Pratibha Ray, spiritual thinker Acharya Prashant, acclaimed actor, lyricist, and writer Piyush Mishra, and noted writer and filmmaker Raj Shekhar.
Other distinguished speakers and participants include Vikas Swarup, Paramita Satpathy, Upendra Nath Behera, Badri Narayan, Neena Verma, Archana Singh, Jai Prakash Pandey, Kuladhar Saikia, Malini Awasthi, Narayani Basu, Satish Padmanabhan, Yatindra Mishra, Sandeep Singh, Vikram Sampath, Anant Vijay, Yatish Kumar, Buddhisagar, Ashutosh Agnihotri, Sujeet Kumar, and Yunus Khan, along with many other renowned writers, artists, filmmakers, scholars, musicians, diplomats, and public intellectuals from across South Asia and beyond.
The festival will feature panel discussions, keynote addresses, poetry readings, musical performances, author interactions, book launches, workshops, cultural evenings, and cross-border literary collaborations. Kathmandu KLF 2026 will bring together established authors, emerging voices, academics, translators, publishers, artists, and literary enthusiasts from across South Asia and other parts of the world.
“The festival theme reflects the growing importance of South Asian literature and cultural traditions in shaping global conversations around identity, migration, inclusion, spirituality, environment, and social engagement,” said Ranjana Niraula, Director of Kathmandu Kalinga Literary Festival.
Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) has been organising the Kathmandu edition since 2022 with the objective of strengthening literary, cultural, spiritual, and civilizational ties between Nepal, India, and the broader South Asian region. Over the years, the festival has emerged as a significant platform for dialogue among writers, thinkers, artists, scholars, filmmakers, musicians, diplomats, and intellectuals from across South Asia and beyond.
