Ncell Foundation's 'Nepal Literature Festival 2025' is starting from Thursday in the tourist capital of Pokhara. The twelfth edition of the festival organized by the Bookworm Foundation will continue till February 18 at the Barahi Ghat ground on the banks of Phewa Lake.

According to the organizers, the opening ceremony of the festival, which is considered as the 'Kumbha Mela of literature', will be held at 11 am. Prithvisubba Gurung, Minister of Communication and Information Technology of the Government of Nepal will inaugurate the festival. The dialogue sessions will start from one o'clock in the afternoon.  Before the start of the

session, there will be a lecture by professor and economist Mahendra P. Lama, the director of the festival informed Niraj Bhari. He is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi Open University and the Founder Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University in India. He also became the youngest Vice-Chancellor of the National Central University of India. There will also be a special musical performance by Anil Shahi and the group at the opening ceremony. 

After the opening, there will be a dialogue between actress Manisha Koirala and writer and journalist Vijay Kumar on spirituality and struggle in the Bhupi room from 1 pm in the 'Ali Ali Har Ho, Ali Ali Jit Jit!' session. Then Vasant Thapa will interact with Kanti Sherchan and Kavita Sherchan in the 'Smriti Bhoomi' session from 2 pm to 3 pm. Bhari informed that Vijay Timalsina will hold a conversation with Communications Minister Prithvisubba Gurung in Alimian Room from 2 pm to 3 pm. 

Bharat Koirala will talk to Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey from 3 pm to 4 pm in the Bhupi room on the activities, opportunities and challenges of the state government, the organizers said. At the same time, Sita Mademba will interact with Subhash Nepali, Geeta Choudhary and Suresh Dhakal in the 'Raithane Gyanko Vigyan' session at Alimian Chamber, Ajit Baral, Executive Director of the festival informed.

Khagraj Adhikari, the leader of CPN (UML) and the outgoing Chief Minister of Gandaki, will tell the joys and sorrows of politics in the Bhupi room from 4 pm to 5 pm. The session was facilitated by Nirmala Sharma. At the same time in Alimian room, Keshavasaran Lamichhane will talk with Bhavesh Bhumri and Pranitha Chamling focusing on love and literature. 

There will be a musical performance by Om Vikram Bista from 5 pm to 6 pm in the Bhupi room. Similarly, in the Alimian room, Gauri Tamu will have a conversation with Vishnu Sinjali and Junakumari Gurung along with Minister of Social Development, Youth and Sports of the State Government Vindukumar Thapa about the Gurung and Magar languages ​​of Gandaki.

The main attraction of the Pauba painting exhibition festival is the folk painter's Keshavashran Lamichhane, a member of the organizing committee, informed. Books can also be purchased from the stalls at the festival with a discount. 

This time, more than 200 writers, politicians, writers, artists, journalists, editors and special personalities from the country and abroad will be present at the festival. Similarly, more than 50 discussion sessions, interactive programs, musical performances and other creative programs are also included.

Ncell Foundation is the main presenter of the festival, which is promoted by Buddha Air. Pokhara Metropolitan City is the promoter of the festival, Gandaki Provincial Government is the co-promoter. Similarly, Nepal Tourism Board, Agricultural Development Bank, Global IME Bank and Prabhu Bank have supported the organizers as sub-promoters.  In the

festival, there will be a serious brainstorming on various topics related to literature, including social, political, economic, new technology, cinema. Sonagi Blues, a musical group that gives traditional tunes and rhythms a contemporary look, will also perform at the festival. The music of this band, which started as a collective project of the students of the music department of Kathmandu University, is a blend of Nepali folk, rock and Indian classical music. In this edition of the