The Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF) 2026 began on a resonant note on Friday morning, celebrating city’s cultural icons, legendary singer Usha Uthup and renowned actress Madhabi Mukherjee. This opening session set the tone of the event with a mix of music, memories, films, and literature.
The festival was formally inaugurated with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by Usha Uthup, Madhabi Mukherjee, Festival Director Anjum Katyal, Oxford Bookstore CEO Swagat Sengupta, Festival Programming Head Neeta Sreedharan, and Alipore Museum Director Jayanta Sengupta. The beginning of the festival was made spiritually and emotionally richer by Usha Uthup, who rendered a Shiv Vandana, drawing warm applause from the audience.
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‘Madhabi’s Garden’ launched at AKLF
One of the key highlights at the inaugural session was the AKLF launch of Madhabi's Garden, the English translation of ‘Madhabikanon’, the autobiography of Madhabi Mukherjee. The book has been translated by noted translator Arunava Sinha. The launch brought Mukherjee, Uthup and Sinha in conversation with author and journalist Oindrilla Dutt.
The discussion traced Madhabi Mukherjee's journeys through theatre and cinema, offering glimpses of her formative years and creative evolution, and the experiences that have shaped her distinguished career. Speaking during the session, Mukherjee recounted how she had worked with stalwarts such as Shishir Bhaduri, Chhabi Biswas, Kanon Devi, Satyajit Ray, and Ritwik Ghatak. She also shared lighter moments, including humorous anecdotes about Ghatak - recalling how she once hid in her washroom for hours to avoid meeting him.
Translation, theatre and legacy
Arunava Sinha spoke about the motivations that made him translate Mukherjee's autobiography and labelled this decision as a natural one, given her lasting impact on the current cultural scene. He said that her deep roots in theatre added to the richness of the original text and made the translation job especially compelling.
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Music, literature and shared journeys
Usha Uthup, while paying tribute to Mukherjee, reflected upon her own artistic path and the relationship between music and literature. She recounted how this festival was turning into a meeting ground for different art forms and lived experiences.
With Oindrilla Dutt moderating the session with great warmth and insight, this was a befitting inaugural to AKLF 2026, honouring two towering figures of Kolkata's cultural life while starting conversations whose resonance goes way beyond the city. The morning came to an end on a high note with Usha Uthup singing a lively medley of 'Shaan' and 'Ramba Ho' in inimitable style.
