Green Literature Festival: Authors, activists 'leaf' no stone unturned

Bengaluru: Noted authors, environmentalists and activists participated in the third edition of the one-day Green Literature Festival (GLF), which was held at Century Club in Cubbon Park on Saturday. The event was a celebration of literature with a focus on the environment.

Conservation of less popular species, the loss of biodiversity and landscapes, green entrepreneurship and the challenges of the publishing business were some of the topics that were discussed at the one-day event.

It kicked off with an address by founder and festival director, Benedict Paramanand. Following an invocation dance, Padma Shri K Ullas Karanth took the stage to deliver the keynote address. The tiger expert and conservation zoologist spoke on the topic ‘Hope for wild nature in emerging India’. 

In a session titled ‘Landscapes of loss: Livelihoods in peril,’ a panel comprising Stephen Alter (author), Aparajita Datta (scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation), and Yuvan Aves (writer, naturalist, educator and activist) spoke about their experiences from the field. It was moderated by Meghaa Gupta, head, Young People’s Programme, GLF. 

Stephen pointed out that, in addition to erosion and loss of a biome, building the Tehri dam over the Bhagirathi River resulted in another important loss — that of the locals’ narrative.

“The river was a part of their story, folklore and history. In the Himalayas, every tree, rock or river has many stories attached to it. So the loss of a landscape is felt on many levels,” said the author who has spent a major part of his life in Mussoorie.

Talking about the effectiveness of relocating villagers from animal reserves to boost conservation, Aparajita explained that it calls for a ‘context specific approach’.

“The location is part of the locals’ culture. They know the forest very well. Learning about their knowledge of the forest and their methods to coexist is fascinating,” she shared. It is detrimental to blindly relocate people without taking into account their connection with the land, she added.

In another session titled ‘When pictures speak: Telling green stories through graphic narratives’ graphic novelist and author, Amruta Patil and Priya Kuriyan, writer and illustrator, took the audience through the conceptualisation and creation of some of their noted works.

Amruta shared insights about her graphic novel Kari, set in Mumbai and follows Kari who contributes to society by unclogging drains. Priya explained how she created the children’s book — Beauty is Missing — which revolves around an old lady who is distraught after the loss of her buffalo, named Beauty.

The day came to a close with the GLF Honour Book awards ceremony. NR Krishnan won the ‘Business Book of the Year’ award for A Green Economy-India’s Sustainable Development and Ravina Aggarwal won the 'Children’s Book’ award for Searching for the Songbird. The general fiction and non-fiction award was won by Stephen Alter for Birdwatching.