National, December 20, 2025: The Nalanda Literature Festival (NLF) is gearing up for its inaugural edition, scheduled from December 21 to 25, 2025, in Rajgir Convention Centre, Nalanda, Bihar, with festival leadership and academic partners today announcing key details and the broader vision of the event.
Rooted in the ethos of Nalanda as a historic global centre of learning, NLF 2025 positions itself as a platform celebrating legacy, language and literature, with a special focus on Bihar and the North East. The festival will foreground classical and contemporary literary traditions, encourage regional, national and global exchanges, and create space for diverse voices, ranging from folklore and oral narratives to contemporary and future-facing writing, while examining cultural intersections and evolving literary expressions.
Over the course of the festival, the Nalanda Literature Festival will host a rich and diverse programme featuring thematic literary sessions, panel discussions, author interactions, and thought-provoking workshops. The festival will also include dedicated book stalls showcasing a wide range of publications, curated book reviews and launches, live cultural performances, and daily yoga and meditation sessions, offering participants a holistic experience that blends intellectual engagement with cultural expression and well-being.
Shri Ganga Kumar, Festival Director, Nalanda Literature Festival, said, “The Nalanda Literature Festival is envisioned as a living tribute to Nalanda’s timeless legacy of knowledge and dialogue. Through NLF 2025, we seek to create a platform that brings together scholars, writers, artists, and thinkers to engage with ideas rooted in tradition while addressing contemporary cultural and literary realities.”
The discussions witnessed the participation of several distinguished personalities, including Prof. Siddharth Singh, Vice Chancellor, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM); Ganga Kumar, Festival Director, Nalanda Literature Festival; D. Aaliya, Chairperson, Nalanda Literature Festival; Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Festival Chairperson; Dr. Pankaj K. P. Shreyaskar, author, columnist and poet, and Festival Advisor; Pankaj Dubey, author and Festival Curator; Charles Thomson, Anchor of the event; Sanjay Kumar, civil servant and social activist; and Dr. Sarita Boodhoo, social activist, writer and journalist, along with members of the media and the cultural community.
The Nalanda Literature Festival 2025 is expected to emerge as a significant national and international cultural gathering, reaffirming Nalanda’s enduring legacy as a space for learning, dialogue and the exchange of ideas, while situating Rajgir at the centre of contemporary literary and intellectual conversations.
