Organised by the Bookworm Foundation, the festival is getting popular among literature lovers and those who seek to involve in the intellectual debate on literature and other contemporary social and political issues.

The organisers are set to bring six foreign and more than 140 Nepali writers at the festival. The main highlight of the festival is Indian diplomat, writer and politician Shashi Tharoor.

The other literary figures participating in the festival are Farah Ghuznavi (Bangladesh), Tishani Doshi (England), Carlo Pizzati (Italy), Basharat Peer and Hartosh Singh Bal (India). Nepali literary luminaries Saru Bhakta, Momila, Yubraj Ghimire, Bijay Kumar Pandey and Narayan Dhakal, to name a few, will also be taking part in the event.

“We had started the festival in whims. Coming to this phase, we are able to make it a grand festival for everyone,” said the festival director, Ajit Baral, in a press meet in the Capital.

The festival has been a platform for both writers and readers for direct interaction. It has created a forum for Nepali literature to move into international market. Advisor of the festival, Professor Abhi Subedi, said the event is now being a hub for experts in literature. “We are happy that we are again going to celebrate the fourth iteration of the festival, we are more focused on developing reading habit among people. This is our social corporate responsibility,” said Sanju Koirala, Ncell Corporate Communication director.

In the initial phase, the festival was held at Moksh in Jhamshikhel and attracted 5,000 audiences. Not being able to adjust the flow of the crowd, the organisers have been running the subsequent annual events in the backyard of the Nepal Academy Hall. The second edition of the festival had witnessed more than 15,000 audiences while the third edition also saw a large number of participants.

Besides intellectual

discussions on literature and other social issues, the three- day festival this time will also feature poetry and gajal

recitation.