Curtains lift on the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023

Following a three year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dhaka Lit Fest commenced on Thursday at Bangla Academy. 

State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, and Indian writer and literary critic Amitav Ghosh inaugurated the event.

Gates opened to attendees at 9 AM. The first attraction of the event were Buddhist chimes that welcomed book and literature lovers. A total of 30 sessions took place on the first day of the event.

Nuruddin Farah, Geetanjali Shree, Shehan Karunatilaka and Barbara Epler gave speeches at 'Torn Apart' in AKSB Auditorium between 12:15 PM and 1:15 PM. At PSR Seminar Room between 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM, the session 'Everything Change' took place. Abeer Hoque, Saad Z Hossain, Kaiser Huq and Owen Sheers gave speeches at this session.

At noon between 2:45 PM and 3:45 PM in V Novera Hall 'Bangobandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahmaner Bangladesh' took place. All the locations within Bangla Academy, including the above mentioned ones and the lawn, the Nazrul Stage, the Bardhoman, the Cosmic tent, all hosted sessions one after the other.

'In Memoriam: Sir Fazle Hasan Abed' took place at AKSB Auditorium between 5:15 PM and 5:30 PM, where Tamara Hasan Abed and Shameran Abed reminisced about Sir Fazle Hasan Abed.

Besides speeches, performances also took place. Around the wrap up of day one, Nuhash Humayun's 'Pett Kata Shaw' was screened at V Novera Hall. 

Bengal Parampara Sangeetalaya performed recitations in AKSB Auditorium. Film 'Hawa' was screened Nazrul Stage and as the closing act band Meghdol performed at Bardhoman. 

Dhaka Lit Fest 2023 will continue until Sunday, 8 January.