SALF beings second edition with ambition to grow into major Himalayan Literary Festival

BIJOY GURUNG

Sikkim government looks to build annual lit event through public feedback& wider participation

GANGTOK,: The Sikkim Arts & Literature Festival (SALF) begins its second edition at Ridge Park here on October 28, with the State government expressing the ambition of developing it into one of the biggest literary festivals in the Himalayan region in the coming years.

The ambition, the organisers say, is to build the annual festival through continuous improvement, drawing on public feedback at every edition and encouraging greater participation, particularly from students and young readers, to make SALF an identity of Sikkim over the next decade.

Chakung-Soreng MLA Aditya Golay, representing the organising team, said the long-term vision was to develop SALF into an event that becomes an identity of Sikkim, with each edition building on the experience and feedback of the previous one.

“A festival, despite best efforts, is not 100% perfect. Some festival might appeal to a group and not to everyone. We are looking forward to public feedback on the things we can improve upon. We aim to make it an annual event and we want to improve every time so that the Sikkim Arts & Literature Festival becomes an identity of Sikkim in future. Not immediately in a couple of years but say ten years down the line, it can be the biggest festivals celebrated in this region. This is how we are thinking. We are open to criticism and feedback. There will be a registration counter where people can share feedback for improvement and also suggest which artists and authors they want to see next time. Let us work together to make this festival a big one,” said Aditya Golay.

He was addressing a media conference on Monday afternoon along with Sikkim Students’ Welfare Board chairman Sonam Chopel, Culture Department chairperson Bhim Kumari Sharma, Teamwork Arts representative Shams Jawaid, and Education Department secretary TashiChophel.

An initiative of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), the second edition of SALF is presented by the Students’ Welfare Board and the Education Department, Government of Sikkim, and produced by Teamwork Arts, the producers of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

Interestingly, SALF traces its originsto the ‘Read and Grow’ campaign launched by the SKM Students Wing in 2021 to promote a reading culture among the students of Sikkim. The ‘Read and Grow’ campaign evolved into a State-level arts and literature festival with Yuksom, West Sikkim hosting the first edition in 2023. The Chief Minister then announced that the arts and literature festival will become an annual calendar event to be organised by the State government.

Teamwork Arts had partnered with the Sikkim government to organise the Yuksom edition of Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival.

Syed Shams Jawaid, representing Teamwork Arts at the press meet here, said SALF was already creating a buzz in national literary circles, adding that Sikkim was a destination many authors and artistes wanted to visit for events of this nature.

SALF 2026 will be held at the Ridge Park complex from October 28 to 30, bringing together writers, poets, thinkers and musicians from Sikkim, the wider Himalayan region and across India.

The literary programme features William Dalrymple, Mamang Dai, Ranjit Hoskote, Nawaraj Parajuli, Stephen Alter, ChudenKabimo, Yuvan Aves and Guru T. Ladakhi, among others. Conversations and poetry performances will explore themes of identity, memory, belonging and the relationship between people and the Himalayan landscape.

Sikkim Students’ Welfare Board chairman Sonam Chopel appealed to literature lovers and the general public, particularly students and their parents, to attend the three-day festival, saying it was intended to promote a reading culture among children.We appeal to students and people to come with their children and experience literature, art and culture, and take benefit from the workshops being attended by prominent artistes and authors, he said.

The organisers also urged heads of educational institutions across Sikkim to consider giving students some time off to attend the festival in Gangtok, despite the event being held on working days. They said the event's focus on literature, art and culture would ultimately benefit students and encourage them to develop an interest in reading and creative expression.

They further appealed to the respective area MLAs to support the literary initiative by facilitating logistics and other arrangements to enable students from their constituencies to travel to Gangtok and attend SALF 2026.

Music will be another highlight of the three-day festival, with performances spanning ghazals, instrumental music, folk and contemporary fusion. The line-up includes Aagaaz on the opening evening of October 28, Kartikeya and Makrand and Indian Ocean on October 29, and Magda Khan and Group and Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe on October 30.

SALF 2026 | OPENING SESSION | October 28

RIDGE PARK: Choir performance by EMRS Gangyap, ‘EkaiMaatoAnek Rang’ (Broadway style musical show by Culture Department), and inaugural address by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay.

‘A Life in History’ – William Dalrymple in conversation with TashiChophel followed by Indian Ocean in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, and a Ghazal evening by Aagaaz

Time: Starts from 3:30 PM

SALF 2026 | Sessions That Might Interest You

These Hills Called Home: ChudenKabimo, Prajwal Parajuly and Stephen Alter in conversation with Sharda Chhetri

Alchemy of Publishing: What Makes a Story?: Anurag Basnet, Esha Chatterjee and Kanishka Gupta in conversation with Raman Shresta

Enter Prompt: The Great Game of AI: Barsali Bhattacharyya and Saiket Majumdar in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy

A Borderland State of Mind: Akhilesh Upadhyay, Pema Wangchuk Dorjee and Satyadeep S. Chhetri in conversation with Puneeta Roy

Doodles and Words: Pankaj Thapa, Rachita Taneja and Ujan Dutta in conversation with Anuradha Sharma

SALF 2026 | WORKSHOPS

The Studio: Illustrations Workshop by Ujan Dutta

Exploring Buddhist / Himalayan Theater and Performance Techniques with CharmiChedda

Exploring Foundations of Melody & Percussion with Kartikeya Vashist&MakrandSanon

Writing Workshop with Chetan Raj Shrestha

Creative Art Workshop by Mind Matters

Self Expressive Arts Workshop by Puneeta Roy

Rajasthani Music Workshop by Magda Khan & Group

SALF 2026 | WALK-IN ACTIVITIES

Mixed Media Bookmark Station, Story Mural, Letter-Writing Station, Draw A Story, Poetry Playground, design bubble wands, create patterns from leaves, flowers and other natural textures, and a letter-writing station.

*Workshops, Sessions and Walk-in Activities are scheduled on October 29-30 at The Ridge Park complex & White Memorial Hall. Visit sikkimartsandliteraturefestival.com for timings and further details.