7th edition of Mangaluru Lit Fest to be held on Jan 11-12, Dr SL Bhyrappa to inaugrate

Mangaluru: Well-known writer Dr SL Bhyrappa will inaugurate the seventh edition of the Mangaluru Literature Festival, being organised by Bharat Foundation, at TMA Pai International Convention Centre on January 11 and 12.

Sunil Kulkarni, trustee of Bharat Foundation, said that the literature festival will feature 72 distinguished speakers participating in 34 diverse sessions. As many as 14 books, comprising six in English and eight in Kannada will be launched, he told mediapersons at Hotel Ocean Pearl on Wednesday.

Notable participants include Union Minister for petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri, former Intelligence Bureau chief Vikram Sood, former Indian diplomat and author Dileep Sinha, former IPS officer and Tamil Nadu BJP state president Annamalai K, historian and author Dr Vikram Sampath, JNU Vice-Chancellor Dr Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Swami Mahamedhananda, President of Mythic Society V Nagaraj, Himalayan geopolitical expert Dr Claude Arpi, political analyst Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Sanskrit content creator Samashti Gubbi, creative educator Vandana Rai, and others.

This year’s Litfest Award will be conferred on Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement President Dr Balasubramanyam, a member of the Union govt's Capacity Building Commission.

The festival will include sessions across two main stages and a dedicated discussion area named ‘Harate Katte’. The festival will debut an experimental session for the blind, featuring Aishwarya and Dr Mallappa Bandi, providing a platform for inclusivity. There will be special focus on regional and cultural heritage. The Gondaliga community, a semi-nomadic tribe, will be represented by Vittal Gondale, and the Tulu language will take centre stage with a session on Tulu Sahitya led by Dr Tukaram Poojary and Shashiraj Kavoor.

He said the Lit fest will also have workshops for children and a session on Tulu script along with a book stall. Participants will get an opportunity to interact with authors. A dedicated session on Sanskrit, with conversations in the language, will also be held, said trustee of Bharat Foundation Shreeraj Gudi.