Bhopal — With the gentle arrival of winter’s pink hues, the valleys of Bhopal are once again set to be adorned with the vibrant spirit of Vishwarang. The Tagore International Literature and Arts Festival enters its seventh edition, unfolding over four days in the expansive premises of Ravindra Bhavan, weaving a unique tapestry of diverse cultural activities. Initiated by Rabindranath Tagore University, Vishwarang Foundation, and its affiliate centres—with the support of the Department of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh, and over 50 institutions from India and abroad—this grand confluence is taking shape as Asia’s largest cultural gathering organized by a non-governmental institution.
Representatives from over 65 countries, along with eminent Indian thinkers, scholars, and experts, will come together to present a living example of shared culture. From November 27th to 30th, more than 80 sessions will serve as open platforms for dialogue, discourse, and artistic expression.
This information was shared by Shri. Santosh Choubey, Director of Vishwarang and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, during a press briefing. Addressing the media, he noted that “the journey of Vishwarang, which began in 2019, has now reached its seventh milestone—broader, deeper, and more vibrant than ever. The caravan that began in Bhopal has traveled through Mauritius, Sri Lanka, New Delhi, and Mumbai, returning to Bhopal with renewed energy and confidence.”
The festival will be inaugurated on November 27th at 6 PM, following a grand and vibrant cultural procession (Shobha Yatra). The inaugural ceremony will be graced by the Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Mangubhai Patel, with former President of Mauritius, Mr. Prithvirajsing Roopan, Madhya Pradesh’s Minister of Culture, Shri. Dharmendra Bhavsingh Lodhi, and Shri. Santosh Choubey as special guests.
The press conference was also addressed by Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Co-Director of Vishwarang and Chancellor of SCOPE Global Skills University; Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi Vats, Director of AISECT Group of Universities, Co-Director, Vishwarang, and Pro-Chancellor, Rabindranath Tagore University; Dr. Jawahar Karnawat, Director of the Centre for Diaspora Literature and Cultural Studies; and Vinay Upadhyay, Director of the Tagore International Centre for Arts and Culture.
Shri Choubey shared that “over 1,000 participants—including linguists, writers, educationists, scientists, technologists, critics, cultural practitioners, environmentalists, and renowned figures from media, cinema, and the entertainment industry—will be part of Vishwarang. This unique confluence of heritage and modernity will offer a compelling glimpse into the evolving narratives of knowledge and science in a changing world. Vishwarang, in this sense, is shaping a vast platform for dialogue.”
Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi emphasized the festival’s growing popularity, noting that thousands have already registered via the Vishwarang portal. He attributed this enthusiasm to the festival’s democratic spirit, which offers something for every generation—curiosity, engagement, and entertainment alike. “Vishwarang is as traditional as it is innovative,” he said, highlighting the inclusion of new themes and experts that make the festival relevant to contemporary times. He mentioned the enthusiastic participation of personalities such as Faisal Malik, Divya Dutta, Swanand Kirkire, Radhakrishnan Pillai, Priya Malik, Neelotpal Mrinal, Saurabh Dwivedi, Devdutt Pattanaik, Sumit Awasthi, and Pushpesh Pant, who have warmly accepted Vishwarang’s invitation and are regarded as mentors and motivators for today’s youth.
Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi Vats shared key highlights of the festival’s vibrant programming. The opening evening on November 27 will feature a grand performance of Shri Krishna Leela by a large ensemble from Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, New Delhi, enhanced with special light and sound effects. On the closing day, November 30, the majestic play Ahilya Rupen Sthita, based on the life of Rajmata Ahilyabai Holkar, will be staged at the Anjani Auditorium. The production features over 50 artists from Nagpur’s Prayas Rang Group, directed by renowned theatre artist Priyanka Shakti Thakur.
Additionally, the Tribal Segment, ‘Aadirang’, will feature exhibitions of traditional crafts, folk dances, music, and screenings of heritage films on Chanderi, Gangaur, and Sanja.
Dr. Jawahar Karnawat, Director of the Centre for Diaspora Literature and Cultural Studies, provided details of the participating countries and their presentations. He stated that over 60 representatives from more than 35 countries, including Canada, USA, Belgium, Netherlands, Ukraine, Italy, Sweden, UK, Kuwait, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Russia, Japan, Bangladesh, Trinidad, Guyana, Egypt, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa, Suriname, Slovak, Romania, and Qatar, will attend Vishwarang. A team of eight students from Ukraine will present a Hindi play.
A rare experience will be the exhibition ‘Coolie Se Kulin Tak’, curated by researcher Deepti Agrawal, will trace the journey of Indians in indentured nations.
Shri. Vinay Upadhyay, Director of the Tagore International Centre for Arts and Culture, shared the activities of Vishwarang’s cultural projects, ‘Mangalacharan’ and ‘Poorvarang’. He noted that performances like Dhrupad Vrinda by the Dhrupad Gurukul Sansthan, folk music on Sitar by Aniruddha Joshi, ‘Desh Raag’ based on freedom struggle songs curated by Umesh Tarkaswar, and ‘Satvani’ spiritual music by Rajiv Singh will serve as a living testament to the rich heritage of Indian culture. Shubhabrata Sen from Kolkata will bring the echoes of Bengali music from Guru Rabindranath Tagore’s homeland, while folk artist groups from the regions of Bundelkhand and Malwa in Madhya Pradesh will illuminate the Vishwarang courtyard with their earthy vibrancy.
Vishwarang Honorary Awards
Six distinguished personalities who have excelled in Hindi and other Indian languages and established a creative global presence will be honoured with the Vishwarang Honorary Award. This year’s selected litterateurs include:
• Smt. Mamta Kalia (Hindi)
• Shri. Harish Meenashru (Gujarati)
• Shri. Chandrabhan Khayal (Urdu)
• Shri. H.N. Shivaprakash (Kannada)
• Shri. Laxman Gaikwad (Marathi)
• Shri. Paresh Narendra Kamat (Konkani)
The awards will be presented during the inauguration session of Vishwarang on the evening of November 27th.
Stars on the Ground
The vibrant canvas of Vishwarang will host an assembly of stars from the worlds of language, literature, culture, art, media, education, environment, science, technology, and entertainment. This includes well-known personalities honoured with Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, and various national and international awards.
Key figures include — Dr. Nandkishor Acharya, Mamta Kalia, Shivmurti, Gyanprakash Vivek, Swanand Kirkire, Anamika, Ashtabhuja Shukla, Mukur Sharma, Narmada Prasad Upadhyay, Divya Mathur, Mahadev Toppo, Urmila Shirish, Manisha Kulshreshtha, Vinod Tiwari, Om Thanvi, Pushpesh Pant, Damodar Khadse, Muralidhar Chandniwala, Dr. Lata Munshi, Kavita Shaji, Suchitra Harmalkar, Vikas Mishra, Laxman Gaikwad, Narendra Kamant, Harish Meenashru, Ashok Bhaumik, Liladhar Mandloi, Prayag Shukla, Vinay Upadhyay, Kunal Singh, Mohan Sagoria, Vasant Nirgune, Swati Ukhale, Manisha Shastri, Rajesh Vyas, Sanjay Patel, Rohit Rusia, Jitendra Srivastava, Savita Bhargava, Nilesh Raghuwanshi, Radhakrishna Pillai, Faizal Malik, Divya Dutta, Priya Malik, Seema Raizada, Vikas Dave, Mukesh Verma, Balram Gumasta, Sanjay Singh Rathore, Vikas Awasthi, Mudit Srivastava, Rajesh Vyas, and Swarangi Sane.
These personalities will enrich the cultural environment with their artistic energy, alongside engaging dialogues on various subjects.
Art Dialogues and Exhibitions
In addition to the permanent auditoriums—Hans Dhwani, Anjani, and Gauranjani—parallel sessions will be held in newly designated venues such as Tagore, Vanmali, Abhimanyu Anat, Shantiniketan, Sharada, and Chitra-Vithi. These will host discussions on visual arts, exhibitions, and symposia on the role of literature and the arts in a developed India, featuring leading thinkers, art gurus, painters, and researchers.
Launch of Documentary Literature
Important books and special issues of magazines focused on Vishwarang’s fundamental objectives and ideology will be launched across various sessions. These include ‘Vishwa Mein Hindi’ (Hindi in the World) – a detailed report on Hindi’s creativity in over fifty countries—along with special issues of the Vishwarang such as, ‘Electroniki Aapke Liye’, ‘Rang Samvad’, ‘Vanmali Katha’, and ‘Vishwarang Samvad’, in addition to a vast series of other publications from AISECT Publications.
Aadirang — The Tribal Segment
‘Aadirang’ is another special segment of Vishwarang, with the Tantya Bhil Auditorium in Ravindra Bhavan serving as its hub. It will feature intellectual sessions focused on tribal literature, culture, art, and traditional craft skills, along with screenings of two heritage films produced by the Vishwarang Foundation — ‘Gangaur Gatha’ and ‘Sanja’. A gallery dedicated to tribal heritage crafts and paintings will also be a major attraction.
There will also be a presentation-cum-demonstration on the ‘Puppetry’ art form and its utility in mass communication.
A Feast of Traditional Delicacies
Visitors to Vishwarang, which is setting unique standards in conception, coordination, and expansion, will also be treated to a bounty of traditional cuisines. Skilled culinary artisans will be present at various stalls, offering a delicious array of Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, and Nimari dishes.
World Hindi Olympiad Winners to be Honoured at the Closing Ceremony
The formal closing ceremony of Vishwarang will take place on the evening of November 29th at 6 PM in the Hans Dhwani Auditorium, Ravindra Bhavan. In the presence of the Chief Guest, Shri Prithvirajsing Roopan, former President of the Republic of Mauritius; presided over by Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, former Union Education Minister; and with the special presence of Shri Rajendra Shukla, Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, and Shri. Santosh Choubey, Director, Vishwarang, and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University, the winners of the World Hindi Olympiad will be announced and awarded. Shri. Shiv Shekhar Shukla, Additional Chief Secretary of M.P., Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Co-Director of Vishwarang, and Chancellor, SCOPE Global Skills University, along with Dr. Pallavi Rao Chaturvedi, Director of Balrang, will also provide their inspiring presence.
