Oxford and Kolkata festivals announce partnership

Oxford to feature India Day presented by Kolkata festival

OLF logoKolkata Literary Meet FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival and Kolkata Literary Meet today announce a new annual partnership between these two great international festivals. Beginning this March, FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival, held in historic University of Oxford colleges and public buildings, will stage an ‘India Day’ each year, presented by Kolkata Literary Meet, to celebrate Indian literature, culture, art, history and current affairs and the particular contribution made by Kolkata/Calcutta and the state of West Bengal. Full details will be announced later this month but events will include:
  • Sir Mark Tully in conversation with Madhur Jaffrey
  • Anjali Joseph and Prajwal Parajuly discussing Indian writing
  • Roderick Matthews on the Indian Uprising of 1857- New Perspectives
  • a dinner in the magnificent dining hall of University College to mark Madhur Jaffrey’s 80th birthday with dishes prepared by famous Indian chefs. From January 2015, Kolkata Literary Meet will stage an ‘Oxford Day’ each year, presented by the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival, to celebrate British literature, culture, art, history and current affairs and the special contribution made by the University of Oxford and the Oxford University Press. Kolkata Literary Meet director Malavika Banerjee said: ‘Oxford has always been a name that Indians associate with excellence, be it in writing or in academics. Some of India’s most respected writers, leaders, academics and artists have links with Oxford and I think the time has come to celebrate this centuries-old association. 'Kolkata was the seat of colonial India and the city’s links with Oxford University predate even the colonial era. While the partnership will try and showcase contemporary literature and culture in the two cities, simply tracing this old link would be hugely satisfying. The Kolkata Literary Meet, in partnership with the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival, plans to use the ‘Oxford Day’ from 2015 to showcase the best of literature, arts and current affairs in the UK .’ Sally Dunsmore, director of FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festiva,l said: “The histories of Great Britain and India have been intertwined for centuries. In recent decades, the impact of Indian novelists, film makers, musicians and chefs has been enormous in the UK. We are delighted to partner with the cultural capital of India and Kolkata Literary Meet to provide a platform each year to showcase the richness and variety of India’s culture.' The University of Oxford’s links with India are legion and go back more than 400 years. In 1579, Father Thomas Stephens, of New College, was the first recorded Englishman to visit India. Indian students have been coming to Oxford since 1871 and Oxford University Press has been operating in India for 100 years. There are currently more than 300 Indian postgraduate students at the University of Oxford. Among famous Indian Alumni of Oxford University are:
  • Indira Gandhi
  • Manmohan Singh – current Prime Minister of India
  • novelists Vikram Seth, Amitav Ghosh and Cornelia Sorabji, India’s first woman lawyer. Distinguished Indians who have taught at Oxford include Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (President of India, 1962-1969), and Amartya Sen (Nobel Prize winner in Economics 1998).
  • 2023

    2022

    The Oxford Literary Festival sponsors, donors & partners

    The Telegraph Festival media partner University of Oxford Netflix European Union Supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the UK Cultural Relations Platform Supporter of the festival's Voices of Europe programme BBC World Service International radio partner Owen Mumford Supporter of programme of science and medicine and annual science and innovation award Bodleian Libraries Festival cultural partner Oxford Martin School Festival ideas partner Oxford Mathematics Spanish Embassy The Spanish Embassy: supporters of the programme of Spanish literature and culture Cervantes Institute, London The Cervantes Institute, London Italian Embassy The Italian Embassy: supporter of the programme of Italian literature and culture The Dorchester Hotels Collection Festival London hotel partner International Literary Properties Festival literary heritage partner Blackwell’s Festival on-site and online bookseller The Randolph Hotel by Graduate Hotels Festival hotel Old Bank Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Old Parsonage Hotel Five-star hotel partners of The Oxford Collection Jim Mellon John Roberts Lady Hatch Patron donor for the programme of Irish literature and culture Tim and Marion Stevenson Martin and Elise Becket Smith Miles Young Masumi and Jonathan Dobson Pank Koria CEO of Project People Carole and John Allen David Isaac Mary and Cecil Quillen Supporters of the programme of American literature and culture Anna Hunter Rhys and Kerry Phillip Exeter College Exeter College: college home of the festival. Founded 1314 New College New College founded 1379 Worcester College Worcester College founded 1714 Lincoln College Lincoln College founded 1427 St Cross College St Cross College founded 1965 Trinity College Trinity College founded 1555 Magdalen College Magdalen College founded 1458 Critchleys Accountants to the festival Pasture to Plate Compassion in World Farming Human Ecology Project MACROVegan Symington Wines of the Douro Valley Princeton University Press Prestige publishing partner. Celebrating 25 years in Europe in 2024 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Sponsor of the EBRD Literature Prize since 2018 ROOMS Georgia's leading lifestyle hotel brand since 2012. Supporters of the programme of Georgian literature and culture Jewish Book Week Partner of Oxford Literary Festival Foodbuy Thje Menu Partners Institute of Hospitality Goldmoney Properties Project People Oxford Brookes University Oxford International Centre for Publishing Confucius Institute Pusey House British Academy Festival academic partner Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies Oxford United Football Club Racalia Olive Oil Olive oil from Sicily BBC Radio Oxford Local radio partner Bear Ram Elk Festival Digital Strategy & Web Design Paul Bloomfield Ltd University of Oxford Alumni Office Alumni Office Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies Conference Oxford Felicity Bryan Associates CAV Oxford The Sheldonian Theatre Oxford University Images Oxford University Images Oxford University Department for Continuing Education Oxford Georgian Translation Project Supporter of the programme of Georgian literature and culture Force4Good Consultancy Corporate communications OX magazine Ox in a Box K T Bruce Photography K T Bruce Photography The Litmus Partnership Schoolreaders Windrush Group James Currey Society