Sufi notes mark soulful beginning to Chandigarh Literature Festival

The 13th edition of the three-day CLF Literati 2025 opened on a melodious note on Friday with a captivating musical evening, ‘Saaz Au Awaaz’, at Rani Laxmibai Bhawan, Sector 38 here.

Renowned Sufi singer Bhuvan Sharma mesmerised the audience with a spiritually uplifting performance that blended Punjabi folk, Sufi kalaam, ghazals and classic Hindi melodies, drawing repeated applause and moments of pin-drop silence. Welcoming guests, Dr Sumita Mishra, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Literary Society and Festival Director, said the evening celebrated “the beautiful confluence of music and words”, echoing this year’s theme “Worlds Within Words”.

The literary sessions of CLF Literati 2025 will be held on November 22 and 23 at the Lake Club, featuring noted writers, poets, artistes and ad professionals. Among the key speakers on November 22 are ad guru Prahlad Kakkar and actress-poet Sandhya Mridul. The festival will conclude with the CLF Literati Awards, recognising three books across categories: The Undying Light by Gopalkrishna Gandhi (English non-fiction), The Ayodhya Alliance by Ashwin Sanghi (English fiction) and Shubh Din by Balram (Hindi).