Overview

Awadh, over the years, has mothered innumerable works that, in the long run, have had undeniable impact on millions of lives. Take, for example, GoswamiTulsidas' Ramcharitmanas and the Hanuman Chalisa. Consequently, the region holds within it huge reserves of intellectual knowledge. A case in point is the rare collection of Amir Khuasrau's works unearthed from the Gulistan-e-Eram (also known as the Royal Library of Awadh) and the three hundred-odd rare manuscripts that lay preserved in the Amir-ud-daula Public Library. Although Awadh's contribution to music, art, literature and culture is immense and goes centuries back, certain developments stamped the region's authority as an international literary hotspot. The All-India Progressive Writers' Conference was held in Lucknow on April 10, 1936. This was a cumulative and revolutionary movement in Indian literature that had bearings on Awadh. Syed SajjadZahir, one of the contributors to the banned anthology of Urdu stories, Angarey presided over the conference, and the presidential address was delivered by MunshiPremchand. The inaugural edition of the Koshala Literature Festival will, over a course of three days, i.e. from 4th to 6th of November 2022, celebrate this legacy by bringing together authors, historians, journalists, storytellers, artists and more. KLF will spread out a delightful feast of conversations, panel discussions, books, storytelling sessions, musical performances, dastangoi, assortment of curated cuisines and much more for the audiences. Koshala Literature Festival would also serve as a meeting ground for lovers of literature and arts, writers and artists from across the country and the world.