One-Day Literary Festival on March 19 During State Level Nalwari Fair 2026; Renowned Author Neelotpal Mrinal to Participate

Bilaspur, March 13-A special one-day literary festival will be organized on March 19 as part of the State Level Nalwari Fair 2026.

Renowned author, popular poet, and social activist Neelotpal Mrinal will be the main attraction of the event. Hailing from the Bihar–Jharkhand region, Neelotpal Mrinal is considered one of the prominent contemporary Hindi writers and enjoys a strong following among young readers.

Deputy Commissioner Bilaspur Rahul Kumar informed that in 2016 Neelotpal Mrinal was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Award, the highest literary recognition given to young writers in the country. His novels Dark Horse, Aughad, and Yaar Jadugar are among the widely discussed and consistently best-selling books in Hindi literature. His novel Dark Horse alone has sold nearly one million copies, while the other two novels have also reached hundreds of thousands of readers and are counted among the most popular Hindi novels. His recently released fourth book Vishwaguru became the number one bestseller on Amazon soon after its release. Recently, Amazon India also declared him Author of the Month and prominently featured his books.
Closely associated with social causes, Neelotpal Mrinal has actively worked in the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand for environmental protection and river conservation. He has also led campaigns against illegal sand mining. Themes of villages, environment, and soil prominently appear in his poetry. As a poet, he has recited poetry at several prestigious platforms across the country, including the All India Kavi Sammelan held at the historic Red Fort, as well as events organized by institutions such as IITs and NITs. His poems have received millions of views on the internet.

The Deputy Commissioner further stated that during the literary festival, a special session titled “Charcha Par Charcha” will be organized, where prominent writers from Bilaspur will share their thoughts on the theme “What Literature Means to Me.”

In addition, a special session on “Why Nutrition is Important in Today’s Times” will also be organized, where expert doctors, Anganwadi workers, and ASHA workers will participate and share their experiences.

He added that separate poetry sessions will also be organized on March 19 for multilingual poets from the district, providing local writers an opportunity to present their creative work.

The Deputy Commissioner said that the objective of this literary festival is to promote meaningful dialogue on literature, society, and contemporary issues, and to encourage young people to engage more actively with literary activities.