Because there were 170 speakers from across India and the world. Because 40,000 seats got filled over three days to listen to and see them. But that’s too facile.
More, perhaps, because there were big names and national figures, but also quieter voices who hadn’t been heard until then. Because of the level of engagement. Filling up the large hall was creditable enough, but the smaller spaces filled up too, and the audience interaction sessions were lively and well-informed. Of course, as with all such open Q&A sessions, there were statements in the guise of questions from people who probably don’t get to talk publicly often, but most heartening was to see a loud troll shushed by the crowd.
And because there were elderly people taking small steps (or being wheeled in and out) and young ones tucking into their tiffin boxes at lunch time, their parents supervising. Because there were resplendent saris and crisp veshtis on display (though not as much as I thought I’d see). And because of the large number of women I would guess are 40 and over rocking grey hair, but maybe that’s just me.
And because someone from the army of young volunteers was always around, to point you to the right venue, to tell you who was signing books, to just grin at you.
Yes, all those reasons, I’ll be back.
Rajmohan Gandhi presents The Hindu Prize 2018 in the non-fiction category to Manoranjan Byapari (extreme right) and Sipra Mukherjee (centre), author and translator, respectively, of Interrogating My Chandal Life — An Autobiography of a Dalit.
Author Anushka Ravishankar during a children’s workshop.
Inquisitive audiences were everywhere at The Hindu Lit for Life 2019.
Urvashi Butalia, J. Devika, Kannan Sundaram and Vivek Shanbhag in conversation.
Children put down the names of their favourite books.
Actor Manisha Koirala.
Writer Perumal Murugan at a book signing session.
Visitors throng the venue.
Author Audrey Truschke.
Writer and historian Ramachandra Guha.
Nirmala Lakshman, curator of The Hindu Lit for Life and Director, The Hindu Group of Publications, in conversation with Arun Shourie, economist and former minister.
Suki Kim, Korean American writer and journalist.
Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan.
Rajmohan Gandhi presents The Hindu Prize 2018 in the non-fiction category to Manoranjan Byapari (extreme right) and Sipra Mukherjee (centre), author and translator, respectively, of Interrogating My Chandal Life — An Autobiography of a Dalit.
Writer and historian Ramachandra Guha.
Nirmala Lakshman, curator of The Hindu Lit for Life and Director, The Hindu Group of Publications, in conversation with Arun Shourie, economist and former minister.
Suki Kim, Korean American writer and journalist.
Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan.
Author Anushka Ravishankar during a children’s workshop.
Inquisitive audiences were everywhere at The Hindu Lit for Life 2019.
Urvashi Butalia, J. Devika, Kannan Sundaram and Vivek Shanbhag in conversation.
Children put down the names of their favourite books.
Actor Manisha Koirala.
Writer Perumal Murugan at a book signing session.
Visitors throng the venue.
Author Audrey Truschke.