In light of the prevailing COVID situation, the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet has been postponed. The festival was supposed to have taken place between January 25 and 30, 2022. The on-ground festival will be held later this year, when the situation stabilises. Some online sessions will be held on the scheduled dates to mark the city’s annual date with literature and the arts in January.

Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in association with Victoria Memorial Hall, is one of the highlights of the annual literary calendar not just in Kolkata, but all over India. Commenting on the postponement of the festival this year, Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said: “While we were looking forward to the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in partnership with the Victoria Memorial Hall, we are postponing this year’s edition to a later date in the interest of public safety. We understand that Kolkata and literary enthusiasts at large were looking forward to the event - a festival that has become an intrinsic part of the city’s cultural calendar. We will continue with our online sessions with eminent personalities and look forward to working together with you all to organise a memorable literary festival very soon.”

Dr. Jayanta Sengupta, Secretary and Curator, Victoria Memorial Hall, said, ‘Much as we look forward to the Literary Meet at this particular time of the year, it makes sense to defer it to a later, safer date this year, so that we can savour its sessions in person and on site.’

Malavika Banerjee, Director of the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet, said: “Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in association with Victoria Memorial has traditionally been an open and festive celebration of great books and great speakers. The current situation makes it impossible to hold it in that form. We hope the situation improves in a couple of months. We will have online sessions, featuring 2021 Booker winner Damon Galgut, Indra Nooyi and festival favorite Andre Aciman to mark our dates in January and will look for an appropriate time to hold the live on-ground event later this year, possibly the last weekend of March.”