Dhaka: With a promise to promote Bengali literature and culture to the global community, International Literary Festival for the sixth time commenced on Thursday at the premises of Bangla Academy in the capital Dhaka with the name Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF).  

The three-day literary event, where people with different languages and culture gathered with a common goal to foster literature practices has virtually turned into a platform of sharing and exchanging diversified literatures and culture.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and Nobel Prize winner VS Naipal inaugurated the Dhaka Lit Fest at a function in the Abdul Karim Sahitya Auditorium of Bangla Academy.

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor and Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan, Directors of Dhaka Lit fest Kazi Anis Ahmed, Sadaf Saz and Ahsan Akbar, among others, attended the function.  

Renowned singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya performed Tagore songs at the inaugural function.

Over 200 internationally famed writers, artists, researchers and journalists from home and abroad are participating in the DLF. They will participate in different panel discussions, which are open for all.

Organisers of the DLF said Dhaka Lit Fest has been regarded as the largest literary festival in South Asia. They said DLF would not remain restricted in the literary arena, rather it will create a wonderful scope for discussion on different disciplines of knowledge.  

While talking to visitors at the Dhaka Lit Fest, they described this literary festival as an excellent platform for both literature-loving people, authors and other stakeholders, which eventually will diversify literature practices.

Kazi Anis Ahmed, director of Dhaka Lit fest, said this international literarily festival is being held in Bangladesh for the sixth time under the new name, "Dhaka Lit Fest". Previously, it was held with the name of Hay Festival, he added.  

"Our main objective was to project our literature, culture and tradition at international level through this literary festival. Bangladeshi writers so far have been popularised through this festival," he added.