'Green Lit Fest' to discuss conserving smaller species

DHNS: A literature festival focused on sustainability and environment conservation will be held this Saturday.

The Green Literature Festival, a one-day event, in its third edition, will see wildlife authors, graphic novelists, grassroots activists, filmmakers, conservationists and children’s authors converge for various sessions.

The day will begin with a keynote address by Ullas Karanth, environmental historian and author. He will speak on ‘Hope for wild nature in emerging India’.

This year, the festival focuses on the concept of green business. In addition, the importance of holistic nature conservation in India with regard to smaller species will also be discussed. 

Workshops by The Habitats Trust and World Wildlife Fund will cover topics like the art of curating a library of green books and writing stories with animal characters. There will also be workshops and activities for children.

Sessions by authors like Stephan Alter and Amruta Patil will cover topics such as ‘When pictures speak: Telling green stories through graphic narratives’ and ‘Landscapes of loss: Livelihoods in peril’.

“We hope to amplify stories of sustainable brands across India, due to which, brands will set up their pop-up stalls at GLF 2023,” said Benedict Paramanand, founder of the festival. 

The event will conclude with the 2023 GLF Honour Book Award, which will award prizes under categories like children’s books, general fiction and non-fiction, and business. 

What to look out for at the event: 

* Mega mammal myopia: Looking past the big stars of conservation — Sejal Mehta (author); Mahesh Rangarajan (environmental historian and author), Rohan Arthur (scientist); and moderator Kartik Shanker (ecologist and writer).

* Grassroots to green shoots: The changing face of green entrepreneurship — Anil Gupta (social sector activist); Nagaraja Prakasam (author); and moderator Benedict Paramanand (founder, GLF).

* The business of green books — Anita Mani (publisher); Sujatha Padmanabhan (member of Kalpavriksh, an NGO); R Sivapriya (publisher); and moderator Vidya Mani (head of general fiction and nonfiction list, GLF).