Rajgir: The Nalanda Literature Festival was inaugurated on Sunday at the International Convention Centre in Rajgir, marking the beginning of a multi-day celebration of literature, culture and ideas that organisers hope will restore Bihar’s historic role in global intellectual discourse.
Opening the festival, Bihar governor Arif Mohammad Khan described the gathering as a “historic moment” and called for such events to be institutionalised. India, he said, had offered the world the message of Buddha rather than the language of war, underlining the country’s responsibility to promote dialogue and humanist values.
Quoting Swami Vivekananda, the governor said India’s civilisational message lay in transcending divisions of caste and colour. “India has always believed it has something meaningful to give to the world,” he said, adding that forums such as the Nalanda festival were essential to sustaining that legacy.
Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor, who also addressed the inaugural session, said literary engagement must extend beyond festivals into universities and classrooms. Nalanda, he noted, was once a global hub not only for literature and philosophy but also for science and medicine, attracting scholars from across Asia.
“Our aim is to create new opportunities through literature — in editing, translation and publishing — so that young people can meaningfully participate,” Tharoor said, calling it an honour to be part of what he termed a renewed “literary confluence” in Rajgir.
The festival, he added, would celebrate 64 traditional art forms and revive the idea of Pancha Vidya — logic, grammar, crafts, medicine and spirituality — that once defined classical Indian learning.
Renowned cultural philosopher and dancer Sonal Mansingh told the gathering that literature was the mirror of society. A civilisation that lost its connection with art, music and letters, she warned, risked losing its humanity. The ancient traditions of Nalanda, Vikramshila and Taxila, she said, were once unparalleled and were now finding renewed expression.
नालंदा लिटरेचर फेस्टिवल की प्रेस कॉन्फ़्रेंस से यह छोटा-सा अंश, जहाँ पद्मविभूषण डॉ. सोनल मानसिंह जी ने भर्तृहरि का यह कालजयी श्लोक उद्धृत किया, “साहित्यसंगीतकलाविहीनः साक्षात् पशुः पुच्छविषाणहीनः।” 🪷 #NalandaLiteratureFestival #NLF2025 pic.twitter.com/oeJKlnS9Qf
— Sonal Mansingh (@sonal_mansingh) December 21, 2025
The inaugural day drew an eclectic mix of participants, including celebrated filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, writers from France and Sweden, and representatives from the corporate and technology sectors. Over the coming days, the programme will feature panel discussions, book launches, yoga sessions and cultural performances from Bihar and the northeast.
Organisers said the festival — structured around the themes of legacy, language and literature — aims to serve as a global platform that reflects India’s plural intellectual traditions while engaging with contemporary cultural debates.
