Bhubaneswar: Eminent author Ruskin Bond inaugurated the three-day Tata Steel Bhubaneswar Literary Meet (TSBLM) got off, here on Thursday.

The inaugural ceremony of the 3rd Tata Steel Literary Meet, which celebrates and seeks to promote the rich heritage of Odisha, was also graced by  accomplished litterateur Manoj Das, Tata Steel group director, corporate communication and regulatory affaris, Chanakya Chaudhary,  and Sambad editor, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.

Ruskin Bond engaged in a conversation with the students and children in a session. He also spoke about his journey of being an unknown author to be reasonably well-known author.  Later, he joined veteran journalist Mark Tully in a session and both shared their views on nationalism and patriotism, recalling their experiences.

Manoj Das spoke about his journey tracing seven decades of the country through his writings. He also talked about how budding authors should draw inspiration from the adversities they face while writing while expressing concern over how creative imagination was being challenged by the evolution of technology.

In the end, best-selling author and historian William Dalrymple and Hindustani classical vocalist Vidya Shah presented a jugalbani of poetry and music.