ARINDAM GANGULY, OP
Bhubaneswar: The second day of the fourth edition of the Walking BookFairs Travel Writing Festival offered participants a unique literary journey Sunday, transforming a train ride from Bhubaneswar to Dashapalla into an immersive celebration of reading, poetry, storytelling, conversations and shared experiences.
In a departure from previous editions, which had Puri as the destination, this year’s festival travelled to Dashapalla in Nayagada district.
A historically significant former princely state, Dashapalla has long been associated with Odisha’s cultural and literary heritage.
The region is linked to legendary Odia literary figures such as poet Bhakta Charan Das, who is believed to have composed parts of Mathura Mangal here, and the celebrated court poet and jester Jadumani Mahapatra.
Its literary legacy, combined with its scenic surroundings, made Dashapalla a fitting destination for a festival celebrating books, travel and storytelling.
The day-long journey brought together hundreds of writers, readers, authors and literature enthusiasts for a celebration of books, slow travel and human connections.
The programme began at Platform No. 5 of Bhubaneswar Railway Station, where participants assembled at 9am before boarding MEMU Train No. 68429 bound for Dashapalla.
The highlight of the morning was the inauguration of the ‘Gift A Book’ campaign, aimed at promoting and encouraging a culture of reading among people.
Parmesh war Funkwal, General Manager of East Coast Railway, inaugurated the campaign.
Speaking on the occasion, Funkwal said that in today’s fast-paced world, social media has taken up a significant part of people’s lives, making the habit of reading something that needs to be cherished and encouraged.
“What could be a better opportunity than reading while travelling on a train? Reading during a journey not only enriches the mind but also creates lasting memories.
This is indeed a wonderful initiative by Walking BookFairs, and I feel fortunate to be a part of it,” he said.
The moving train subsequently turned into a unique reading space with a Collective Silent Reading session, allowing participants to immerse themselves in books while travelling through the scenic route.
The journey also featured a storytelling session in which participants shared stories from the books they were reading.
One participant narrated a story from The Little Red Hen, published by Eklavya and written by Karen Haydock.
The story, which highlights the importance of hard work and personal initiative, added a meaningful dimension to the collective reading experience.
After arriving at Dashapalla, the participants gathered for lunch before returning to the railway platform for another distinctive literary session titled ‘Poetry OnThe Platform’.
Dashapalla Railway Station turned into an open literary space as guests and participants recited poems and shared their writings.
East Coast Railway General Manager Funkwal, acclaimed author Jerry Pinto and several participants took part in the poetry session.
Funkwal shared a poem based on the experiences of a young person travelling on Mumbai’s local trains, while Pinto recited some of his own poems, making the session memorable for the audience.
The journey back to Bhubaneswar featured an informal and flavourful ‘Mudhi Masala OnThe Train’ session, bringing together conversations, local food and shared experiences.
During the journey, the organisers encouraged participants to disconnect from their phones and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary through conversations, music, reading, writing and poetry.
Pinto emphasised the importance of reading holy books, saying they can provide deep spiritual guidance, mental peace and moral clarity.
Walking BookFairs co-founders Akshay Bahibala and Satabdi Mishra said that the enthusiasm among participants to dedicate an entire day to books, travel and meaningful conversations is what makes the festival special.
The willingness of people to come together, spend time with books and strangers, and build deep human connections through shared experiences makes the Walking BookFairs Travel Writing Festival truly unique, they said.
