Nepal Bhasa Literary Festival held

Lalitpur - The Nepal Bhasa Literary Festival was held here in the district on Saturday. 

Cultural expert and Century Man, Satya Mohan Joshi, inaugurated the festival at the Patan Durbar Square's Keshav Narayan courtyard. 

Joshi also took the occasion to note that Nepal is a place where different forms of diverse cultural heritages can be seen and called for conserving the blend of unseen traditions associated with them. 

During the ceremony, 'The Poster', a novel written by rights activists and writer, Malla K Sundar, and an anthology of poems 'Basanta' penned by industrialist and poet, Basanta Chaudhary, were launched. 

The novel and the anthology were released by Joshi, Nepal Academy of Music and Drama (NAMUDA) Chancellor, Bhakta Raj Shrestha 'Sarubhakta' and Nepal Bhasa Academy's Chancellor, Chittaranjan Nepali. 

The festival also featured interactive programmes on 'Tomorrow's Nepal Bhasa Literature' and 'Newar Litterateurs Making Use of Pen in Nepal Bhasa'. 

On the occasion, Prof Prem Shanti Tuladhar presented a document on 'Nepal Bhasa Literature Identity'. 

He called a 'seminar paper' dating back to 1115 AD found in Ukubahal of Lalitpur as the first recorded written paper in Nepal Bhasa and termed ancient King Mahendra Malla as the first poet versed in the language. The literary festival also featured performances by Kutumba, an instrumental band.