Ever imagined a scenario where you could be present at three places at a time? Seems like magic right? Well, thanks to technology and the blessing in disguise – COVID 19 – you can now attend three major literary festivals around India, right from your homes. How is that possible? You guessed it right. They are going online!
Ladakh, Pune, and Bangalore are all set to welcome national and international authors to their festivals that are being held side by side this week and you are all welcome to attend them.
In the far North of India, Ladakh is holding a literature festival from 10-12 December. The festival is organized by the Ladakh tourism department for the second time. While most events these days are being organized on virtual media, the festival will be a mix of online and offline sessions, featuring 31 guest speakers and 23 local speakers, including writers, poets, journalists, and thinkers. Some of the well-known names to attend the fest include writer Stephen Alter, historian William Dalrymple, Tony Wheeler (the creator of the Lonely Planet guide and current Planet Wheeler Foundation), and writer Raghu Karnad, Amrita Mahale, Shaheen Bhatt, among others.
Likewise in the west, the Pune International Literary Festival is hosting a fully virtual three-day event between 11-13 December for the first time in its eight years of existence. Some of the marquee speakers in the festival include primatologist Jane Godall, economist and politician Meghnad Desai, environmentalist Janaki Lenin, writer Maya Lang, politician and writer Shashi Tharoor, former intelligence officer Vikram Sood and crime writer Martin Edwards.
To compensate for the offline experience, the organizers will run a two-minute video in which the author will talk about their latest work. For new authors, the organizers have created a special section titled ‘Why buy my book’, which will showcase 4-minute videos featuring 20 new authors, who will pitch their books to the audience.
Bangalore Literature Festival will also be showcasing dual formats. The offline events which will take place on 12-13 December will be held at the Bangalore International Centre. Writers Alexander McCall Smith, Anuja Chauhan, Declan Walsh, Jeffery Archer, Chetan Bhagat, Moni Mohsin, Samhita Arni, Vivek Shanbag, Sudha Murthy, and Rohini Nilekani are some of the noted speakers of the event.
