THE CARMEL BEAT
A Literary Weekend – 10th Bangalore Literature Festival
Shreya G A, Journalism Association
The start-up capital of India is not only a business hub but also a place renowned for its literary flair. As Bangalore hosted its 10th Literature Festival on 18th and 19th December, the city came alive for all literary lovers at the Bangalore International Centre. With everyone's normal life disrupted by the pandemic, the festival was a breath of fresh air as it offered a chance to bond over books and engage in discussions. Much to the delight of all bookworms present, Atta Galatta bookstore had put on a book fair. This year's theme focused on multilingualism and endangered languages. In addition to addressing multilingualism in India, numerous panels focused on the local languages, like Dakhni Urdu, Konkani, Koragga and Halakki Kannada and their relevance in today’s world.
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The two-day event hosted 175 sessions and 90 speakers both online and on the ground. The “Ask Me Anything” sessions with notable authors like Preeti Shenoy, Gagandeep Kang, Josy Joseph and many more were a hit among the readers. The discussions on the plight of vernacular publishing houses and the Indian educational heritage held the audience's attention. Talking about her experience, Siddhi Jojare, a postgraduate student of National School of Journalism says, “I came to Bangalore only a couple of weeks ago, and this event has been exciting for me. It feels great to meet a bunch of readers and writers under the same roof. The group here has knowledgeable and experienced people which makes it more interesting to me. I clicked pictures with Chetan Bhagat, and that is something that is going to be very memorable.” From understanding the complex female characters to the impact Jane Austen had on Shashi Deshpande, the sessions celebrated literature and life. The witty responses of critic VAK Ranga Rao and heaty remarks of Josy Joseph kept the listeners rather entertained.
Speaking about the importance of literary fests, the bestselling author and new age Indian classicist Anuja Chandramouli says, “The future belongs to the youngsters and I am very touched when they take a keen interest in books. Today, they have many distractions. The internet is very cohesive, but books will round your education. It is very heartening to see the youth turning up here in big numbers at lit fests. Because, as an author, I hear books and novels are dead. But here is the reason that they are not and will never be.
I have been coming here since the early days of my career. I think the Bangalore audience is very discerning. Thanks to bookstores like Atta Galatta reading is promoted. This has never been an impersonal fest where I speak and take off. Readers come and strike conversations with you and this is very encouraging to me.” The books in the foyer by Atta Galatta indeed set the tone for the literary fest. One of the volunteers of the book store, Varini, a student of Christ University shares, “The authors are really humble. Some of the old authors who have been invited to speak look at their books displayed and get emotional that the current generation is still reading their work. That is something that I found moving.” Recollecting one of the encounters with an author she added, “I was standing by the gate and organizing, Shashi Deshpande looked at me and said, ‘it must be nice to be young’, I was taken by surprise and just smiled." The huddled groups of people chatting with their friends or newly made acquaintances, selfies with authors and the long lines for book signatures were a sight to behold at the halls of BIC.
Janani, 37, a regular attendee of the BLF, “I think the one-on-one AMA sessions were very engaging rather than the panel discussions. Those gave us a deeper understanding and more to think about. I’ve been reading since I was a kid and this fest helps me to pick up more books and learn about different authors.” Poornima, another friend in the excited group reminisces the past BLF events, “Due to the pandemic the size of the event has been reduced. Otherwise, it is a much bigger fest. But, considering the pandemic in hand, we are grateful for this social interaction.” The 10th edition of BLF brought stories closer to people. Known for being punctual it engaged its visitors with meaningful conversations and opened doors to diverse authors and literature.
