KNMA welcomes audiences to the Annual Bloomsday Celebration with an immersive literary programme featuring dramatized readings from James Joyce’s acclaimed short story collection Dubliners. Presented by Kaivalya Plays in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in India, the event offers an opportunity to engage with Joyce’s enduring explorations of memory, identity, aspiration, and human complexity.

The programme opens with Eveline, Joyce’s poignant portrait of a young woman caught between the familiarity of home and the possibility of an uncertain future. Set in Dublin in 1904, the story reflects on choice, longing, and the tensions between personal desire and responsibility, while capturing a society poised between tradition and change.

The evening continues with Counterparts, brought to life through a dramatized reading by Varoon P. Anand. One of Joyce’s most powerful and psychologically charged stories, it follows a day in the life of Farrington, tracing the frustrations, humiliations, and destructive impulses that shape his world. Through its sharp observations and emotional intensity, the story offers a compelling reflection on power, vulnerability, and human behaviour.

Participants are encouraged to embrace the spirit of the occasion through Joycean attire, celebrating the literary world and cultural legacy of James Joyce.

About Bloomsday
Bloomsday is celebrated annually around the world on 16 June in honour of Irish writer James Joyce. The date commemorates the events of his landmark novel Ulysses, which unfolds over the course of a single day in Dublin in 1904. Named after the novel’s protagonist, Leopold Bloom, Bloomsday has become an international celebration of Joyce’s life, work, and literary influence.