Page turners, straight talkers

The Bangalore Literature Fest is back in the city with a bang. Having had four very successful editions in the previous years, this year was a veritable writer’s bloc! Hosted in a city that inspires authors and creative minds alike, the fest saw big names joining in on pertinent conversations, like Anil Kumble, Twinkle Khanna and Rahul Dravid. In a conversation with youngsters in the city who attended the festival, we get a lowdown on which speaker and session they enjoyed the most.

Learning about a person who is famous all over the country in detail is not something everyone will have the opportunity of doing. Bengaluru-based professional Aditi Saini said, “This is the first time I have attended the Bengaluru Literature Festival, and I must say it was a very moving experience. A session that stood out was by Sagarika Ghose with Paranjoy Guha Thakurta who spoke about Indira Gandhi. The duo has written very beautifully about Mrs Gandhi’s life as a dictator as well as a politician. I also noticed that they had a huge collection of books which I definitely have my eye on. I am looking forward to a session with Anil Kumble and Twinkle Khanna on the last day.”

City-based Monalisa Routray says, “I have no words to describe the festival. From morning, I have attended quite a few sessions with friends. A few people and talks that I thought were worth listening to were Jingoism vs. Patriotism by Ramchandra Guha and In hot blood by Bachi Karkaria with Meenal Baghel. I think Nidhi Razdan and Sindhu S gave a very comic twist to the topic of Silence - The Trolls are in Session which delved into women in the media.”

The diversity of the festival was what stood out. It was planned in a manner that attracted people of different age groups. Sneha Shanker, a city-based graphic designer felt, “Although I was there for only a couple of hours, I found three sessions that really interested me. Death by Litigation was interesting. The good thing about this fest was that there was so much diversity. Along with all the heavy weights and their conversations, there were also more relaxing sessions like one by Ranjini Rangarajan, who spoke about how to write for a younger generation. Being a graphic designer, I think this session pulled me in thanks to its creative process. I wanted to learn how to cater to a younger audience,” she says.

People not just from the literary field but also from fields like medicine and business were a part of it, Tanvira Paul, a medical student says, “This was my first ever literature festival. The talk session with Sagarika Ghose was really good. She surpassed her predefined reputation of being learned and to the point. Her talk about the role of Indira Gandhi in Indian politics hit the right nerve.”