New Delhi: Literary and cultural engagement is crucial to strengthening people-to-people connections and fostering long-term understanding between India and Nepal, Dr Shankar Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India, said.
He was speaking as Chief Guest and keynote speaker at the fifth edition of the Kitab Jatra New Delhi Festival 2026.
The two-day literary festival, held at PHD House in New Delhi, was organised by the Kitab Yatra Foundation and the BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation under the aegis of the India-Nepal Centre, with the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) as industry partner. The event sought to deepen bilateral cooperation through literature, dialogue and cultural exchange.
Bringing together writers, diplomats, policymakers, publishers and journalists from both countries, the festival reaffirmed literature’s role as a bridge between the two neighbours.
Among those present were Manjeev Singh Puri, Chair of the India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI; Atul K. Thakur, Senior Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI; Yugal Joshi; Anand Jha; senior journalists Akanshya Shah, Tikaram Yatri and Sama Thapa; and Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee.
Prominent literary figures from Nepal and India also participated, including authors Nayan Raj Pandey, Amar Neupane and Anurag Basnet; poets Mahesh Babu Timalsina, Mallika Shakya and Viplob Pratik; and authors Dr Shreedhar Khana and Rishi Ram Adhikari, among others.
The festival featured panel discussions, literary conversations and poetry sessions focusing on shared traditions, the growing global presence of Nepali literature, the role of translation in cultural exchange and the evolving significance of storytelling in shaping regional and cross-border identities.
Organisers said the Kitab Jatra New Delhi Festival has emerged as an important platform for sustained intellectual exchange between India and Nepal. By bringing together voices from literature, media, diplomacy and publishing, it continues to promote cross-cultural understanding and celebrate the region’s rich literary heritage.
