Often when we imagine the setting of a literary festival, we automatically place ourselves in some busy metro city, where attendees are trying to find their pace. But do we really need to limit ourselves to the urban framework, when many of our famous writers come from villages or very small towns? What stops us from taking literature to the very people about whom it is written regularly? Keeping these questions in mind, writer-translator Pooja Priyamvada, co-founder of Bharat Dialogues, and brand consultant Vivek Satya Mitram came together for the first edition of the Ghazipur Literature Festival (GLF), to be held from November 7 to 9, 2025.
Ghazipur, a district and city in eastern Uttar Pradesh, is often in the news for the wrong reasons. Sadly, only a few people know that this is the land that gave the world stalwarts like Rahi Masoom Raza, Vishwanath Singh Gahmari and Kuber Nath Rai.
The festival was inaugurated at The Clarks, Varanasi with a recorded message from Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. He welcomed the participants and congratulated the team for thinking of this unique event. Emphasizing the great works that have come out of the region, he said, “After reading Rahi Masoom Raza half village (half village) You won’t need to read any sociological studies of that area.” Later, Pooja Priyamvada addressed the gathering and said that many people had questioned the decision of holding such an event in a “backward” place like Ghazipur. Introducing the chief guest, South African High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal, he told about his ancestral connection with this place. “Even if the British overthrew us indentured servants (Indentured labourers), they could never succeed in snatching Bharat from us,” Sooklal said.
In the first panel, Vivek Satya Mitram, Bhojpuri poet Manoj Bhavuk, actor Anjan Srivastava, writer Neerja Madhav and poet Mrityunjay Kumar Singh discussed, “Why does Ghazipur matter? Why is it important to discover the roots?” Mittram said people working elsewhere often do not disclose that they are from Ghazipur and said things need to improve. Manoj Bhavuk provided historical context while talking about the importance of local culture. He told that due to the strengthening of Hindi during the freedom struggle, languages like Bhojpuri were marginalized.
The next session featured a presentation on the topic “Purvanchal: The Pulse of Indian Democracy” by Yashwat Deshmukh, Founder of C-Voter. He emphasized that the people of the region are politically aware and hence have always influenced the entire country.
The keynote address titled “In a Global World, Judging Regional Identities” by Kaishav Tiwari, Diplomat, High Commission of Guyana in New Delhi, was enlightening. He talked about his ancestors who enriched Guyana’s existing culture by seamlessly merging it with their own.
The next panel, “The Eternal Batohias (Travellers)”, featured South African poet Xolani Makiwa, academic and diplomat Nellistra Soukal, Poland’s Hindi scholar Kamila Junik, Dutch-Surinamese singer Raj Mohan and veteran theater artist MK Raina in conversation with Pooja Priyamvada about the constant search for home. Raina urged caution and asked everyone to be careful about getting stuck in the past and carrying its burden. Raj Mohan underlined how his songs focus on the emotional structure of words and how, through this, he is able to narrate the realities of people like himself. Junik steered the conversation toward translation and how it can complement the search for a home. The day concluded with a stellar performance by singer Raj Mohan and Dutch-Surinamese guitarist Ramon Bhagwandin.
The party then traveled to Ghazipur where the literary festival continued for two more days.
The second day started at Hotel Nand Residency, where an exhibition showcasing the literature of the region was held. The chief guest of the day was former MP from Ghazipur and current Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha. He told how indentured servants Helped create the world and take the name of many literary figures from the region.
The first session, moderated by editor and poet Priyadarshan, featured literary personalities like Rati Saxena, Kamila Junik and Neerja Madhav, who spoke about “Women in Purvanchal Consciousness”. Saxena, who is also a Vedic scholar, pointed out how women’s stories were described in the Vedas and how the status of women deteriorated during the Puranic period. Madhava, on the other hand, criticized feminism and wondered, “From whom do we want freedom? The father who loves us and provides for us or the brother who protects us?” To which the moderator clarified, “Women want freedom from fathers who are willing to kill their daughter just because she has chosen a partner of her own choice, not one who supports his children.” Junik took the conversation forward by emphasizing the need to center the voices of rural women.
Another interesting session moderated by journalist and Raggiri founder Shivendra Kumar Singh, which included poet Sadanand Shahi, journalist Devendra Nath Tiwari and writer Bhavatosh Pandey, discussed why Bhojpuri is not yet recognized as a language. Tiwari believes that many Bhojpuri speaking people themselves have played a role in limiting the language. Singh was surprised as to why Maithili got recognition but Bhojpuri did not. Shahi responded that the people of the Ghazipur region were largely working class and “therefore, due to the stratification of language and portrayal in the media, Bhojpuri became marginalised.”
In the next session, this conversation was taken forward by discussing Bhojpuri literature. Moderated by cultural researcher Nirala Bidesia, it featured poet and former IPS officer Mrityunjay Kumar Singh in conversation with Bhojpuri writer Suman Singh and author Rakesh Srivastava. Srivastava told how people are now creating content in Bhojpuri and reconnecting with their roots. Singh explained in detail how women are taking the language forward through folk songs and said that some young people are even doing PhD on Bhojpuri.
The program concluded with beautiful Bhojpuri songs by Chandan Tiwari, poetry and poetry by MD Singh, Manoj Bhavuk, Vinay Rai Baburang, Noman Shauk, Azhar Iqbal, Rati Saxena, Suman Singh and Himanshu Upadhyay.
The concluding day’s program began with an interesting session titled Africa and India: Reclaiming a Heritage. Pooja Priyamvada and Vivek Satya Mittram had a deeply moving conversation with Zolani Makiwa, who talked about being born on the margins and overcoming many difficulties, which are evident in his art. “Poets in any society express the voices of the voiceless and weave experiences into a work of art that can truly bring about change,” Makiwa said. Later, senior journalist Sameer Chatterjee held a fascinating session on Purvanchal in the media: fitting into a mold or breaking it? With author Manoj Rajan Tripathi, Anu Shakti Singh and veteran journalist Vibhuti Narayan Chaturvedi. Chatterjee pointed out how the media presented Purvanchal as a region known only for poverty, casteism and hooliganism. “It’s all about seeing and selling (It’s all about what we can show and sell as a story), since the region is basically a factory of poor workers for the entire country, so it suits the narrative,” Tripathi said. In fact, “Purabia has spread our culture all over the world, for example Chhath is now a global festival. Chaturvedi said that Delhi media thought of this area only when they needed some spicy news about crime. “Journalists who cover genuine news are targeted, for example what happened to the person who exposed the mid-day meal scam in Mirzapur?” Singh also repeated the same thing. The festival concluded with a moving speech by organizers Pooja Priyamvada and Vivek Satya Mittram, in which they recounted the difficulties and ridicule they had to face to organize a literary festival in a place like Ghazipur. The stellar performance by Raj Mohan and Chandan Tiwari and their team was a fitting finale to a program that was both enjoyable and enlightening.
Chittajit Mitra (he/she) is a quirky writer, translator and editor from Allahabad. He is the co-founder of RAQS, an organization working on gender, sexuality and mental health.
