The Wajid Ali Shah award was presented to nation’s very noted director Sudhir Mishra. Born and brought up in Lucknow, Sudhir Mishra is the grandson of former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Dwarka Prasad Mishra. His father, Devendra Nath Mishra, was the founder member of Lucknow Film Society. Sudhir Mishra along with Badal Sircar … Continued
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Festival Team
Shamim A. Aarzoo
Founder & CEOIn spite of being a Non-Lucknowite by birth, the love he carries in his heart for Lucknow as well as Literature is incomparable. The zeal to carry forward the heritage and culture of the city of Nawabs led him to the foundation of the LUCKNOW Society, which reflects his efforts to preserve the unique Lucknawi Tehzeeb and makes every citizen proud of the unique culture and heritage of which Lucknow has been a home for an endless time period now. At the very same time Literature also played a very important role to bring out the best in him as the founder of the Lucknow Literary Festival and Editor in chief of the first english literary magazine of Lucknow, The Lucknow Observer.
Displaying great leadership and vision, he has led from the front in an effort to make Lucknow a better place and, at the same time, reviving what rightfully belongs to Lucknow. Be it awareness campaigns like Kyun Ki Shahar Hai Aapka or paying tributes to Lucknow’s legends in Shaam-e-Adab. His innovativeness has been his sharpest tool to serve the city, be it his initiatives like Let’s revive, Save Our Heritage, Know Your City, which are not only targeted to make the city what it once used to be but too to make the youth aware of what they have been missing for so long or be it the book he recently presented to the city, Discovering Lucknow, a coffee table book, which not only gives the minutiae of the monuments but too depicts them in the then and now effect.
Always mindful, always in search of the next level, he not only sets an example for others but also sets very high standards for himself that ultimately set him apart from everyone.
Akansha
Director Festival"Books are one's best friend’ and she is the perfect example why it is said so. Her childhood budding affection towards the books blossomed to an extent that at such tender age she owns a library of 500+ books. When her interest turned into love and then into passion even she didn’t realize. Student by profession and social worker, Akansha is a very good Calligrapher and painter too. Her favorite time-pass is to drift in the sea of words and explore the minds of the authors. According to her, at times books take her to a wonderland where she could stay away from the worries of the world… and at times they even provide adequate strength to face the worldly problems.