Kolkata, India | 1–3 March 2026
The Sister India initiative of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research proudly announces the World Thinkers’ and Writers’ Peace Meet and International Book Festival, to be held from 1 to 3 March 2026 at Rotary Sadan, Kolkata.
Held under the central theme “Literature for Resilience, Hope and Social Harmony,” the three-day international gathering brings together eminent thinkers, poets, translators, publishers, and cultural leaders from India and across the globe in a celebration of dialogue, diversity, and creative solidarity.
Inaugural Session
The festival opens on 1 March at 11:00 AM with an inaugural address by Sitanshu Yashaschandra, Padma Shri awardee and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient, setting the tone for a vibrant exchange on literature’s role in fostering peace and intercultural understanding.
A Global Literary Confluence
The Peace Meet features international seminars and panel discussions, multilingual poets’ gathering, book discussions and releases, cultural programmes and a curated international book exhibition
Distinguished international participants include writers and poets from Australia, Vietnam, Egypt, Spain, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kurdistan, Switzerland, Denmark, and Poland. Among them are Vo Thi Nhu Mai, Duy Pham, Hong Hanh, Sara Hamid Hawas, Ahmad Al Shahawy, Julio Pavanetti, Christine Chen, Aminur Rahman, Hussain Habasch, and Alexandra Nicod, among others.
Indian literary luminaries include Kamal Vora, Joba Murmu, along with prominent authors, translators, and scholars representing diverse linguistic traditions.
Programme Highlights
Across four halls at Rotary Sadan, parallel literary sessions will be conducted in collaboration with leading literary platforms including PENPRINTS, Virasat, Pragya Publication, Bhasha Samsad, Anusha Publication, Sabdaharin, Kolkata Translators Forum, and others.
Special sessions include:Multilingual poetry readings, The Kolkata Translators Forum meet, Award Ceremony & Cultural Programme (2 March), Holi Cultural Celebration (3 March), Dedicated Hindi & Urdu Literature Session and International Book Exhibition featuring major independent publishers
Leadership & Conveners
The event is convened by Sutanuka Ghosh Roy, Nandita Samanta, Somdutta Chattopadhyay, and Sudipto Chatterjee, with coordination by a distinguished team of literary curators and scholars.
Literature as a Bridge
In an era marked by global uncertainties, the ISISAR World Peace Meet underscores literature’s enduring power to nurture resilience, inspire hope, and strengthen social harmony across borders. By bringing together voices from multiple languages and cultures, the festival reaffirms Kolkata’s historic role as a crossroads of ideas and artistic exchange.
For further information, session details, and participation inquiries, please contact ISISAR Organizing Committee.
The event witnessed the publishing of the poetic anthology (Voices Across Horizons), which brings together poets from five continents, gathering a chorus of voices shaped by distinct geographies, climates, histories, and folklores. From the ice-lit stillness of America to the dense urban rhythms of Asia, from the ancestral echoes of Africa to the wide salt-breath of Oceania, stories of medieval stone to modern steel of Europe, these poems remind us that language is both rooted and migratory.
The anthology’s editors Nandita Samantha and Sudipto Chatterjee wrote in the introduction:
“Each poet writes from a specific landscape, yet the emotional terrain love, exile, memory, resistance, belonging – feels universally shared.
What makes this collection remarkable is not merely its geographical span but its tonal diversity. The poems carry different cadences: some whisper in sparse lines, others surge with narrative force; some are steeped in indigenous memory, others wrestle with one that maps modern fracture. Together, they form a living atlas human experience rather than borders.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chris Chen, our Guest Editor, whose thoughtful curation and discerning editorial vision have shaped this anthology into a coherent yet polyphonic whole. With sensitivity and rigor, she has woven together voices that might otherwise never have met on the same page. Her commitment to inclusivity, craft, and dialogue has ensured that this book is not just a compilation, but a conversation across oceans.
May these poems travel far, carrying with them the warmth of shared humanity and the luminous differences that make the poetry world immeasurably rich.”
