Udeesha 2026 brings writers, poets, and performers to Moradabad for a five-day open literature festival of dialogue.
Udeesha 2026
The Moradabad Literature Festival, Udeesha 2026, will be held from 22 January 2026, and will bring together literature, performance, and public discourse from the cities of Moradabad and beyond. Spread across five days and concluding on January 26, the festival is designed as an open cultural forum that brings together writers, poets, performers, scholars, and audiences from across the country. The core aim of the Festival of Dialogue is to foster an environment that is accessible, authentic, and grounded in diversity and relevance.
The Festival of Dialogue will take place at several locations throughout the city, including Dushyant Manch, Ramganga Lawns, and the Jaun Elia Zone. Each location will host sessions that reflect the many forms culture takes in everyday life. Literary discussions and book conversations will sit alongside poetry recitations, theatre, Dastangoi, folk and classical music performances, Bhojpuri cultural programmes, and interactive workshops. Rather than separating literature from other art forms, Udeesha places them in conversation with each other, allowing audiences to move freely between listening, watching, and participating.
The first evening of the festival looks quite promising, with performances by actor Ashutosh Rana and playback singer Sukhwinder Singh. Over the coming days, the festival will showcase a remarkable roster of speakers and performers in literature, journalism, music, and popular culture.
Among those attending are Wasim Barelvi, Manoj Tiwari, Alok Srivastava, Saurabh Dwivedi, Chetan Bhagat, Pushpesh Pant, Gauhar Raza, Akshat Gupta, Ila Arun, and Kumar Vishwas. Their presence ensures that the conversations at Udeesha are varied in voice and viewpoint, touching on themes that resonate across generations.
The Grand Mushaira and Poetry Conference will be a key focus of the festival. Poetry, often described as a shared language of emotion and thought, finds a prominent place at Udeesha. The festival recognizes the important role of poetry as a form of cultural expression through its provision of a platform for poets.
Moreover, the significance of the Udeesha festival is not in its content, but in the geographical location where it is taking place. Moradabad is not a place where the cultural hubs of India normally stop, but it has its own cultural significance and literary past. Udeesha aims to bring this point to the fore with a festival that thinks of Moradabad as a hub and not a remote location. The presence of local artists along with the renowned ones also supports this notion.
The open-access model of the festival further cements its public character. With the vast majority of the festival’s events open to all and free of charge, Udeesha reaches out to its university community and beyond, inviting all interested individuals to participate in ideas and interact with people they might otherwise only ever meet through books or through a screen.
But for people coming into Moradabad during these five days, Udeesha provides an opportunity to engage with the city. And for people living there, it provides something more, a feeling of cultural affirmation and possibility. The festival suggests that meaningful literary and artistic engagement can grow anywhere there is curiosity and commitment.
As Udeesha 2026 approaches, it carries with it the promise of continuity rather than a one-time event. By bringing together diverse voices, encouraging open participation, and grounding itself in the local context, the festival points toward a future where Moradabad is recognised as an active contributor to India’s cultural life.
The Udeesha 2026 event will provide a platform for anyone interested in literature, art and the storytellers that help shape our society today. It will provide an opportunity for you to share your thoughts, ideas and experiences.
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