Gangtok gears up for Sikkim Arts & Literature Fest 2026

ISABELLA GURUNG

Festival to bring together writers, poets, thinkers and artistes from across India and beyond

GANGTOK,: With the aim of promoting reading habits among students and encouraging art, literature, culture and music, the second edition of the Sikkim Arts & Literature Fest (SALF) is being organised by the Sikkim Students Welfare Board, Education Department, Government of Sikkim, from October 28 to 30.

The festival is being produced by Teamwork Arts, the producers of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, widely known as one of the greatest literary shows on earth.The three-day festival will be held at Ridge Park, near White Hall, Gangtok.

“The chief patron of this year’s festival is Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay. Since Gangtok is my constituency, it is my responsibility to make sure that Gangtok and its residents extend support to make this festival successful,” said Gangtok MLA Delay Namgyal Barfungpa at a press meet here on Tuesday.

‘Read and Grow’, which was started in 2019, is a one-of-a-kind initiative. The habit of reading among children has been declining, and to bring that reading culture back on track, we have chosen this medium. ‘Read and Grow’, which is part of the Sikkim Arts & Literature Fest, is in its third edition, informed Barfungpa.

Soreng-Chakung MLA Aditya Golay, speaking at the press meet, said that the first edition of the Sikkim Arts & Literature Fest was successfully held at Yuksom in 2023, under the banner of the SKM Students’ Wing.

“We involved students from remote areas, brought novelists, panellists and scholars from across the country and abroad, held panel discussions and conducted various workshops. This time, under the leadership of the Chief Minister, the Sikkim Students Welfare Board was formed, and the festival will be held under this banner,” said Aditya Golay.

“Among the most renowned literature festivals in India, the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) is celebrated in a grand manner, featuring prominent novelists, authors and poets. Since we cannot send all our students to witness the JLF, we can bring the team behind JLF to Sikkim. This is the second time we have partnered with Teamwork Arts. The festival will feature programmes related to literature, culture, art and music,” added the Soreng-Chakung MLA.

Sikkim Students Welfare Board chairman Sonam Chopel Sherpa said that the first edition was held at Yuksom, West Sikkim.

“For the second edition, since the festival is being held in Gangtok district, we are making an effort to make it successful. Logistically, we are in a viable place, which allows us to carry out the preparations properly,” said Sherpa.

Teamwork Arts vice-president, international festivals, Syed Shams Jawaid, said that the team was excited to be back in Sikkim for the festival.

“We have a whole list of sessions planned. The festival is not just for students but people of all age groups. The festival will include sessions, workshops, music, discussions, reading, book launches, poetry, etc., with a focus on culture, communication, dialogue, ideas, look and feel, among many things. We request all to come and be part of the festival, because we see a huge potential in SALF growing and becoming a big festival which creates value for society, creates an ecosystem for people to read, and creates a platform for people to come and express, share their ideas, and also to write. The vision is much bigger. It is not only to host a festival every year, but the vision is to bring all the best authors, writers, thinkers, Nobel laureates and prize-winning authors to come to this beautiful part of the world,” said Shams.

“We have intentionally chosen venues like Ridge Park for the festival because you have an Orchidarium underneath that. We want all the people who are coming from outside to see the world-class museum the State government has built, and then also to experience all these people who are coming and speaking there,” he added.

The festival will have different components, with two parallel venues running. The multiple sessions will have more than 50 authors coming from outside, along with local authors and speakers, as well as music workshops. Music performances will be held every day in the evening. Bookstores will also be included at the venue, where visitors can buy signed copies of books from their favourite authors.

Tangible Tangerines and Mind Matters are hosting different events for children of all age groups as part of the festival.

SALF 2026 will feature Chuden Kabimo, Mamang Dai, Nawaraj Parajuli, Ranjit Hoskote, William Dalrymple, Yuvan Aves, Guru T. Ladakhi and Stephen Alter, alongside several other prominent writers, thinkers and cultural practitioners.

Among the programme highlights are Echoes of Verse, featuring Mamang Dai and Ranjit Hoskote in conversation with Guru T. Ladakhi, exploring the relationship between poetry, memory, landscape and lived experience; Beats of Poetry, featuring acclaimed poet Nawaraj Parajuli, bringing the rhythm, energy and immediacy of poetry to the stage; These Hills Called Home, where Chuden Kabimo and Stephen Alter will be in conversation with Sharda Chhetri, exploring ideas of identity, belonging, memory and the Himalayan landscape; and A Borderland State of Mind, featuring Akhilesh Upadhyay, Pema Wangchuk Dorjee and Satyadeep S. Chettri in conversation with Anuradha Sharma, examining the experiences, identities and perspectives shaped by life in borderland regions.

Rooted in Sikkim’s rich cultural landscape, SALF creates a space where local voices meet national and international perspectives. The festival celebrates the region’s literary and artistic traditions while inviting audiences to discover the many stories, histories, landscapes and contemporary experiences that shape the Himalayas.

Sikkim is witnessing a renaissance of literature, poetry and art, with creative arts extending to the oral literature and heritage of its hallowed lands.

The Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival 2026 is deeply ingrained in the local cultural and literary mix and brings together local, national and international writers, poets, thinkers, artistes and performers, with a focus on climate crises and the need for environmental awareness and positive action. In its 2026 edition, the festival aims to address important local and global concerns, including climate change, wildlife conservation and biodiversity, history, culture and ethnicity, poetry, architecture, folklore, mental health, writings from the Northeast, fiction, YA literature and more.

All the information is available on the festival website, sikkimartsandliteraturefestival.com. Registration is open and free of cost.

FEST HIGHLIGHTS

SALF 2026 will feature Chuden Kabimo, Mamang Dai, Nawaraj Parajuli, Ranjit Hoskote, William Dalrymple, Yuvan Aves, Guru T. Ladakhi and Stephen Alter, alongside several other prominent writers, thinkers and cultural practitioners.

Echoes of Verse:Mamang Dai and Ranjit Hoskote with Guru T. Ladakhi on poetry, memory and landscape.

Beats of Poetry:Nawaraj Parajuli brings poetry to the stage.

These Hills Called Home:Chuden Kabimo and Stephen Alter with Sharda Chhetri on identity, belonging and the Himalayan landscape.

A Borderland State of Mind: Akhilesh Upadhyay, Pema Wangchuk Dorjee and Satyadeep S. Chettri with Anuradha Sharma on life and identity in borderland regions.