OdishaPlus Bureau
The 39th World Congress of Poets (WCP) will commence in KIIT from October 2, 2019, coinciding with the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. More than 1000 poets, writers from 82 countries including India and 500 poets from Odisha will attend the Congress., ‘Compassion through Poetry’ is the theme to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Bapu.
This is the third time WCP is being hosted in India – on previous two occasions it was held in Chennai in 1986 and 2007. It is a matter of pride for Odisha and India as well to host such a coveted Congress, said Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS and the President of 39th WCP who took initiatives to bring this mega event to Odisha to promote the art, culture, heritage, literature, tradition and tourism of India and Odisha at international level.
During different days of the five-day Congress, Compassion Poetry, Wisdom Poetry, Tourism Poetry, Spiritual Poetry, and Reflection Poetry will be held. The Wisdom Poetry will be held on 3rd October at KIIT, while the Tourism Poetry will be held at Konark Sun Temple on 4th October. The venue for Spiritual Poetry is Puri Sea Beach, Reflection Poetry will be held at KISS.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the 39th WCP tomorrow. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel will inaugurate the Wisdom Poetry. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will grace the valedictory session on October 6 as the Chief Guest. Governor of Odisha Prof. Ganeshi Lal, Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries, and MSME Pratap Chandra Sarangi will be the guests of honor.
During this congress, the highest honour of WCP ‘Golden Gabel’ will be conferred on Dr. Achyuta Samanta. Besides that, Honorary D.Litt. will be conferred on six eminent litterateurs and Honorary Diploma to five eminent persons. Gandhi Prize for Literature will be awarded to noted Gandhian, Acharya Bhabananda from Odisha.
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled by more than 1000 poet delegates from 82 countries to pay tribute to the Mahatma on his sesquicentennial birth anniversary. The statue will depict Gandhiji’s Dandi March.’ It will be a spectacular sight to see tributes being paid to the great exponent of truth and non-violence by people from across the globe’, said Samanta. They will also celebrate Gandhi Jayanti with 27,500 tribal students of KISS and inaugurate a library in the name of Karamchand Gandhi Library for the public.
WCP is one of a kind festival in which poets from all over the world congregate under one roof to discuss, read and critically appreciate the poetry written by fellow poets. Established in 1969 the WCP affiliated with the world academy of art and culture (WAAC) registered in the USA and recognized by UNESCO is a venerable and prestigious international poetry organization. On the sideline, WCP will celebrate its Golden Jubilee year.