Report: Walking Bookfairs Travel Writing Festival

The second edition of the literary festival held in Puri had participants sharing stories and histories, looking at the city beyond the Jagannath temple.

Held on December 14, 2024, the Travel Writing Festival organised by Walking Bookfairs took a compartment full of people, 73 in all, on a train ride from Bhubaneswar to Puri. Parmeshwar Funkwal, general manager of East Coast Railways, who was also present, appreciated the initiative that brought travel and books together and recalled the times when train journeys were synonymous with reading. The event began with much laughter as speakers shared anecdotes of their travels over a sumptuous meal on

Tathagata Satpathy addressing the gathering at Z Hotel (Courtesy Walking Bookfairs)

Chandrahas Choudhury, Prafulla Mohanti and Akshay Bahibala (Akankshya Abismruta)

At Puri, participants were hauled on pulled rickshaws, a once popular mode of transport, to BNR Chowk, where Beat poet Allen Ginsberg hung out during his stopover in the city. At the chowk stands the city’s very first hotel, the Chanakya BNR Hotel where the group met veteran Odia artist and writer Prafulla Mohanti. Known for My Village My Life, Through Brown Eyes and Changing Village, Changing Life, Mohanti, now 92 and in frail health, said he was enthused to attend this “one-of-a-kind initiative.” The entourage walked down Chakra-Teertha Road, marvelling at the remnants of colonial architecture before stepping into Honeybee Bakery and Pizzeria – the eatery famous for bringing authentic thin-crust pizza to Odisha long before the arrival of international fast food chains.

Participants at a session on the beach in Puri (Akankshya Abismruta)

The next stop was Tathagata Satpathy’s Z Hotel. A hippy hub back when it opened in 1980, it was also mentioned in Khushwant Singh’s books. The author and one-time editor of Hindustan Times was a frequent visitor when he was in town. Son of Nandini Satpathy, the first and only woman chief minister of Odisha, Tathagata, who is the editor of Odisha Post and Dharitri, spoke of how mindless urbanisation was ruining Puri. Then, with characteristic wit, he related the origin story of Z hotel, diving into the relationship between the kings of Puri and the British imperial power, which, apparently, offered the land to the local royals in return for exposing freedom fighters. This was followed by two interactive sessions in the evening on the Blue Flag beach. The first, moderated by author Chandrahas Choudhury was about food and travel. Speakers included Chef Rachit Keertiman, Sweta Biswal, author, Beyond Dalma, and an advocate of diversity in Odia cuisine, and Ravi Mantha, businessman, former political advisor, and author of The Baby Elephant Diet.

“When you go to a new city, visit the most popular chaiwallah and listen to the conversations there. If you cannot understand the language, then simply ask them to recommend places where you can eat, and you’ll have the best meal of the city,” said Chef Rachit. He added that he always visits local vegetable and spice markets because vendors there know who is taking their best produce and therefore, will also know whose food tastes the best. Ravi Mantha spoke about families shaping food choices, and how travelling can allows individuals to create a personalised food palette for themselves. He also spoke about the hypocrisy of the idea of ‘pure vegetarian’ and about being committed to organic farming. Sweta Biswal stated that while innovations in food were welcome, people should be careful about what they put in their bodies and how it affects their health.

(From left) Ravi Mantha, Sweta Biswal, Chef Rachit, Chandrahas Choudhury (Akankshya Abismruta)

In the next session, as everyone munched on masala mudhi, journalist Sampad Patnaik, Chandrahas Choudhury, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, and Ravi Mantha spoke about travel writing. Choudhury spoke about how descriptive writing that makes readers fall in love with a place might leave them underwhelmed when they actually visit. He recommended that younger people in the audience, especially, read Prafulla Mohanti’s books, which are amazing chronicles of Odisha’s villages and fine examples of travel writing. While encouraging the young to write, Ravi Mantha also cautioned that writing actually matures with age. Dinner that night was a lavish Odia spread that included dalma, santula, mahura, rohi macha, and fruit pencheda and kheer. On the train journey back, stand-up comic Satyabrat had the party in splits with his set.

Akshaya Bahibala, author, Bhang Journeys, and co-founder of the festival said that he had wanted it to be marked by equality and the spirit of camaraderie. Walking Bookfairs certainly managed to achieve that with participants sharing stories and histories, looking at Puri beyond the Jagannath temple, discussing writing and books, and enjoying the beach. The vibe at Walking Bookfairs was certainly very different from the hectic air of many other literary festivals in the country. In the end, everyone agreed that the event filled their hearts and bellies alike.

Akankshya Abismruta is an independent writer.