Poetry has always been a key part of the Hyderabad Literary Festival, and this continues with the 2024 edition, with nine sessions dedicated to readings and discussions, featuring work in English, Odia, and other Indian languages.

Some highlights from Kaavya Dhaara 2024:

In addition to readings by more than 20 poets from around the country, the stream this year includes a tribute to the late Jayanta Mahapatra (1928-2023), perhaps Odisha’s best-known writer of poetry in English in contemporary times. 

As in previous years, the Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize will be awarded at a special session on January 26, with jury member Sridala Swami presenting the award to winner Nikita Deshpande. 

Poets N Venugopal and Meena Kandasamy will discuss and read from their new volume celebrating the life and work of revolutionary writer Varavara Rao.

Chennai-based writer Srilata K and Kerala-based bilingual poet Syam Sudhakar, both of whom have new books out this year, will engage in a moderated dialogue that will include reading and insights into their creative process.

Odia poet-scholar Bishnu Mahapatra will be part of a moderated panel along with Sahitya Akademi awarded Hindi poet and social scientist Badri Narayan.

Poets Meena Kandasamy and Angshuman Kar will participate in a moderated panel on their latest books.

For the first time, Kaavya Dhaara will include a session dedicated to Haiku, Haibun and Tanka poetry featuring some of India’s pre-eminent writers in this format.