News & Announcement
Morning Session of the Final Day of SALF 2026 Showcases Folk Music and Cultural Narratives
Gangtok, October 30 (IPR):
The morning session of the final day of the Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival 2026 commenced with a Rajasthani folk music performance themed “Khamma Ghani Sikkim” by Magda Khan and Group at Ridge Park. Magda Khan and Group are a traditional folk ensemble from Rajasthan’s Manganiyar community, hailing from the desert districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer. Their performance brought the rich folk music traditions of Rajasthan to the festival, adding a vibrant musical dimension to the morning proceedings.
This was followed by a conversation titled “Echoes of Verse”, featuring Indian poet and art critic, Mr Ranjit Hoskote, in conversation with author, Mr Guru T. Ladakhi. The session explored poetry, its literary significance and its enduring ability to capture human experiences, emotions and cultural memory.
The final morning session at Ridge Park was a conversation on the topic “The Nepali Imagination: Between Mountains and Memory”, featuring authors Mr Shankar Deo Dhakal and Mr Prajwal Parajuly, along with poet Ms Sudha M. Rai, in conversation with poet Mr Prabin Khaling. The discussion explored Nepali language, local literature and the Himalayan social and cultural landscape, with speakers emphasising the importance of bringing local stories, folklore, history and lived experiences to a global audience. They highlighted the need to preserve the mother tongue and foster a culture of reading, writing and thinking in one’s own language. The importance of bringing local literature into the mainstream through translation and digital platforms was also emphasised, alongside the need to incorporate women’s experiences and struggles into literary narratives. The speakers further encouraged the younger generation to cultivate reading and writing habits and express their experiences and emotions through writing.
Simultaneously, at White Memorial Hall, a conversation on the topic “Stories from the Dragon Kingdom” brought together filmmaker Ms Charmi Chheda and Tourism Director of Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan, Ms Carissa Nimah, in conversation with journalist and author Mr Pema Wangchuk Dorjee. The session provided a platform to explore Bhutan’s stories, cultural identity and contemporary narratives through the perspectives of filmmaking, tourism and literature.
The other session at White Memorial Hall was a conversation on “Doodles and Words”, featuring comic artist Mr Pankaj Thapa, activist, Ms Rachita Taneja and author Mr Uljan Dutta, in conversation with Journalist and Author, Ms Anuradha Sharma. The session brought together visual art, illustration and the written word, exploring the relationship between images and storytelling as complementary forms of creative expression.
The morning session of the final day of the Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival 2026 commenced with a Rajasthani folk music performance themed “Khamma Ghani Sikkim” by Magda Khan and Group at Ridge Park. Magda Khan and Group are a traditional folk ensemble from Rajasthan’s Manganiyar community, hailing from the desert districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer. Their performance brought the rich folk music traditions of Rajasthan to the festival, adding a vibrant musical dimension to the morning proceedings.
This was followed by a conversation titled “Echoes of Verse”, featuring Indian poet and art critic, Mr Ranjit Hoskote, in conversation with author, Mr Guru T. Ladakhi. The session explored poetry, its literary significance and its enduring ability to capture human experiences, emotions and cultural memory.
The final morning session at Ridge Park was a conversation on the topic “The Nepali Imagination: Between Mountains and Memory”, featuring authors Mr Shankar Deo Dhakal and Mr Prajwal Parajuly, along with poet Ms Sudha M. Rai, in conversation with poet Mr Prabin Khaling. The discussion explored Nepali language, local literature and the Himalayan social and cultural landscape, with speakers emphasising the importance of bringing local stories, folklore, history and lived experiences to a global audience. They highlighted the need to preserve the mother tongue and foster a culture of reading, writing and thinking in one’s own language. The importance of bringing local literature into the mainstream through translation and digital platforms was also emphasised, alongside the need to incorporate women’s experiences and struggles into literary narratives. The speakers further encouraged the younger generation to cultivate reading and writing habits and express their experiences and emotions through writing.
Simultaneously, at White Memorial Hall, a conversation on the topic “Stories from the Dragon Kingdom” brought together filmmaker Ms Charmi Chheda and Tourism Director of Gelephu Mindfulness City, Bhutan, Ms Carissa Nimah, in conversation with journalist and author Mr Pema Wangchuk Dorjee. The session provided a platform to explore Bhutan’s stories, cultural identity and contemporary narratives through the perspectives of filmmaking, tourism and literature.
The other session at White Memorial Hall was a conversation on “Doodles and Words”, featuring comic artist Mr Pankaj Thapa, activist, Ms Rachita Taneja and author Mr Uljan Dutta, in conversation with Journalist and Author, Ms Anuradha Sharma. The session brought together visual art, illustration and the written word, exploring the relationship between images and storytelling as complementary forms of creative expression.
