1th edition of Bangla Sahitya Utsob returns to celebrate the spirit of Bangaliaana

The 11th edition of Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob (ABSU)—India’s premier Bengali literary festival curated by Oxford Bookstores—will be held from November 7 to 9 at the century-old Oxford Bookstore, Park Street, a cherished cultural landmark that has long nurtured literary thought and conversation in Kolkata.

Over three days, the festival will bring together eminent voices from the world of Bengali literature, art, and culture, celebrating the essence of Bangaliaana through thought-provoking sessions, performances, and dialogues. Announcing the 2025 edition, Swagat Sengupta, Festival Director and CEO of Oxford Bookstores, said, “As the Apeejay Bangla Sahitya Utsob steps into its 11th edition after completing a decade, we are humbled to witness how a long-cherished vision has grown into a much-loved celebration of Bangla literature and culture.

This journey has been made possible by the unwavering support of literary luminaries, authors, publishers, partners—and most importantly, our patrons and audience who continue to inspire us every year.

This year’s edition thoughtfully weaves together diverse themes, including centenary tributes to iconic Bengali stalwarts, explorations of cinema, publishing, education, and poetry. To make the festival more accessible, we will also share all recorded sessions on our YouTube channel, ensuring that the spirit of Bangla literature reaches audiences across the world.”

Conceptualized in 2015, ABSU has evolved into a dynamic platform that bridges the past, present, and future of Bangla literature through conversations, poetry readings, performances, and debates. The 2025 edition will showcase a rich line-up of celebrated authors, poets, filmmakers, actors, journalists, researchers, academicians, musicians, and emerging voices redefining the contours of contemporary Bangla writing.

Among this year’s distinguished participants are Anindya Chatterjee, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Anjan Dutt, Aparajita Dasgupta, Aveek Majumder, Bratya Basu, Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee, Mir Afsar Ali, Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Samik Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy Mukhopadhyay, Shankar Chakraborty, Sharmila Maiti, Shiladitya Sen, Shyamali Acharya, Srijato, Subarna Basu, Sudhangshu Sekhar Dey, and Yashodhara Ray Chaudhuri, among others—each contributing to the rich intellectual and creative landscape of Bengal.