Raipur, January 23, 2026: Several sessions of poetry and satire, including a special poetry reading by women writers, were organised today as part of the Raipur Literature Festival 2026. More than 90 emerging and contemporary writers from various regions of Chhattisgarh participated in these sessions.
Under the grand event of the Raipur Sahitya Utsav held in Nava Raipur, a special poetry reading by women writers was organised under the joint auspices of Jai Johar Sahitya-Sanskriti Sansthan, Chhattisgarh Sahitya Evam Sanskriti Sansthan, and Chhattisgarh Mitra.
The programme was coordinated by Dr. Seema Nigam, President of Jai Johar Sahitya-Sanskriti Sansthan. On this occasion, the institute’s patrons Dr. Rashmilata Mishra, Shashi Surendra Dubey, and the President of Chhattisgarh Sahitya Evam Sanskriti Sansthan, Shakuntala Tarar, were present as special guests. The stage was managed by Dr. Seema Awasthi and Suman Sharma Bajpai.
The women writers effectively presented themes such as the folk culture of Chhattisgarh, the glory of rivers, social concerns, women’s empowerment, and patriotism through their poems.
In this session, Vimla Maheshwari, Bharti Yadav Medha, Purva Srivastava, Pallavi Jha, Nandini Lahej, Dilshad Saifi, Anita Jha, Anamika Sharma ‘Shashi’, Pramada Thakur, Sushma Prem Patel, Purnima Tiwari, Shubhra Thakur, Dhara Dewangan, Shakuntala Tiwari, Seema Pandey, Dr. Jyoti Diwan, Dr. Sandhya Rani Shukla, Nalini Bajpai, Anjana Bhake ‘Kanu Priya’, Shashi Tiwari, Dr. Tuleshwari Dhurandhar, Pratima Banerjee, Durga Pathak, Abha Srivastava, Manjusha Agarwal, Kalyani Tiwari, Preeti Mishra, Chandra Prabha Dubey, Chandrakala Tripathi, Archana Jain, Khilesh Gaur, and many other writers participated.
The vote of thanks was given by Dr. Mrinalika Ojha.
In other literary sessions held at the Surjit Navdeep Mandap as part of the festival, group poetry readings and satirical presentations were also a major attraction. A 15-member team from Dhamtari, led by Dumanlal Dhruv, presented poems reflecting rural life and folk sensibilities.
A group of 9 writers from Raipur, led by Rajshekhar Chaubey, presented satirical works on contemporary themes, while a 12-member group from Mahasamund, led by Ashok Sharma, gave voice to regional culture. Meanwhile, a 7-member group from Raipur, led by Ashish Singhania, recited poems characterized by youthful perspectives and innovative approaches.
These sessions, which continued throughout the day, saw a large turnout of literature enthusiasts. The audience’s applause after each presentation encouraged the writers.
According to the organisers, the Raipur Literature Festival has now evolved beyond a mere cultural event into a powerful intellectual and literary movement, continuously enriching Chhattisgarh’s literary heritage.