Lit fest for students next week

A Bengaluru non-profit is behind the new literary meet for college-goers

Yuvaka Sangha, a city-based non-profit, is organising a student literature festival in Jayanagar on January 11 and 12. ‘Imagination, Idea and Ink’ is the theme of the inaugural edition.

The festival will feature panel discussions, masterclasses, book discussions, open mics, and competitions, mostly in English. “Bengaluru hosts multiple literature festivals throughout the year. But we noticed there wasn’t one specifically for young adults. The students of this generation are moving away from reading. We want to bring back the habit,” says Pradyumna A K, convenor.

Seven panel discussions are scheduled — ‘New India: new stories’, ‘Bharatiya and other narrative sensibilities’, ‘Literature and its many manifestations’, ‘Oral, digital, print to metaverse: evolution of Bharatiya sahitya’, ‘Contemporary youth: opportunities and challenges’, ‘Mythos unveiled: contemporary folklore’, and ‘Chronicles of impact: historians shaping people and society’.

The panel discussions will feature authors and academics from across the globe, including Vamsee Juluri, professor of media studies at
University of San Francisco, S Giridhar, author and COO of Azim Premji University, actor and writer Divya Karanth, and author Anuj Dhar, among others. “While most of the programmes will be in English, some speakers may switch to Kannada depending on the crowd and topic,” adds Pradyumna.

Three competitions are also planned on both days — literary quizzes, debate, and a writing marathon (Here, teams will be required to write a short story in six hours).

On January 11 and 12, at Yuvapatha, Jayanagar. To register and access the schedule, visit studentlitfest.org

From freedom forum to learning hub

Yuvaka Sangha was started by V Annaiah in 1944. It was a forum to encourage the youth to engage in the freedom struggle. After Independence, it was converted into a learning centre.

Currently, the non-profit provides free coaching classes to class 10, PUC, and commerce undergraduate students. Its volunteering programme — with 11,000 volunteers — takes up projects in fields like art, culture, and sports. The literature fest is being organised by Free Space, its wing for performing arts students. “With Yuvaka Sangha, we don’t just want to push students towards academics but also hone well-rounded individuals. This is why we thought a literature fest to discuss contemporary topics is important. We hope to make this an annual event,” says T V Raju, president.