JOIN USBibliophiles' date with B'lore lit fest begins today
The second edition of the three-day Bangalore Literature Festival, which flags off on Friday, at the rather distant Crowne Plaza at Velankani Park, Electronics City, promises plenty for both bibliophiles and the general public with keen interest in books, reading, and dash of art and culture as an icing.
The festivities, which will be kicked off with an ensemble Dollukunita — folk performance, followed by the launch of festival edition of Beantown — BLF’s quarterly literary magazine, has plenty on the platter to be a crowd puller.
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will provide the spiritual touch to the assemblage, speaking on A Celebration of Love & life: An intimate note to the sincere seeker. The congregation can also savour the Bollywoodian glitz and glamour with actor Farhan Akthar, in the spotlight having essayed the role of Milkha Singh, taking centre stage at a session on the making of the in the Rakeysh Mehra directed Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The focus being “Has Indian Cinema finally woken up to biopics.” Lyricist Prasoon Joshi, whose Maa lyrics in Aamir Khan’s Tare Zameen Par, moved the entire nation, will also be in conversation with film critic Bhawana Somaaya on the topic.
If literary buffs can look forward to the session on Co-existence of Commercial & Literary Writing in India: Myth or Reality? with founder of Aleph Book Company David Davidar, Rupa Publications Managing Director Kapish Mehra and literary critic and author Nilanjana Roy, debating the issue, a session on fashion writing — Let's talk couture: Chronicling Fashion: will see fashion designer and author Wendell Rodricks in conversation with Bangalore’s very own fashion guru Prasad Bidappa.
The launch of Kishwar Desai’s The Sea of Innocence will be followed by a panel discussion on Making Silence Speak: Articulating the Feminine, which will see participation from writer and academic Madhu Kishwar, writer Gita Aravamudan, and columnist and pulp fiction writer Shobhaa De.
Parallel to this session would be a focus on the literature from war zone with a discussion on In the Shadow of the Gun: Literature from conflict zones. Day one, which will also see special section for children “Makkala Koota: Children's Reading Corner” and session on slam poetry besides a workshop with Janaki Murali and Japanese folklore with Kathalaya, will be rounded off with Carnatic violin duet concert by Mysore Brothers Dr Manjunath and Nagaraj.
The literature festival may have moved far away from Jayamahal Palace Hotel to Electronics City, but, this should, however, not deter one from braving the traffic snarls and jams to be at Crowne Plaza where for the next three days all the action will be.