PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Almora
The Almora Literature Festival 2025 began at historic Malla Mahal (Old Collectorate) premises with a Chholiya dance performance by the Chandan Bora Group. The Padma Shri Lalit Pandey inaugurated the festival. Among the dignitaries present were Padma Shri awarded nature enthusiast and photographer Anoop Sah and mayor, Almora, Ajay Verma.
The chairperson of the festival, Vasudha Pant highlighted Almora’s history and rich cultural heritage. “Almora is older than major metropolises like Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. The town’s cultural aura inspired the legendary Uday Shankar to establish his academy here.”
Following this, the Natraj Dance Academy presented a Kathak performance led by the young artist Neeraj.
In the next session, author and mythologist, Devdutt Pattanaik held a talk titled ‘Making Mythology Great Again.’ He shared insights into mythological wisdom.
This was followed by the launch of the water-themed anthology ‘Living Water: Pulse of the Planet’, edited by Ramola Butalia. The panel discussion featured Vasudha Pant, Ramola Butalia, Anjan Ray and Sudeep Sen.
Later, young author Shubhanshi Chakraborty’s book ‘Past is Forward’ was unveiled. In this work, she connects sustainability with Indian traditions, asserting that it is not a Western idea but an intrinsic part of our cultural legacy.
