The sprawling campus of Hyderabad Public School (HPS), Begumpet, will present a vibrant literary and cultural tapestry, throwing its gates open to the city from January 25 to 27 for the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) 2019. The multi-disciplinary festival will host literary sessions, book launches, panel discussions, book stalls that stock some rare titles, colourful and thought-provoking art installations, workshops, fun flash mobs and folk interludes, and plenty of short eats.
The HLF began in 2010 and has become an annual calendar event one looks forward to. “We had around 8000 visitors in 2014 when sessions were hosted across a cluster of venues in Banjara Hills. Once we shifted to the HPS campus that’s conducive to host a large-scale event, each year we’ve witnessed a steady increase in interest. In 2018, we attracted nearly 15,000 visitors and expect more this year. The scale of the festival is bigger,” says Amita Desai, one of HLF directors. The core team comprises Amita Desai of Goethe Zentrum, Ajay Gandhi who founded Manthan, academicians Kinnera Murthy and T Vijay Kumar, architect Srinivas Murthy, and GSP Rao of the literary e-journal Muse India.
- Day 1: January 25; @ Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet
- 10.40a.m. at Telangana Tourism Pavilion. Plenary on Gujarati literature before, with and after Gandhi. Gujarati is the language in focus this year.
- 11:30a.m at Telangana Tourism Pavalion. Panel discussion: ‘#MeeToo - The Way Forward’ by singer Chinmayi Sripaada, journalists Sandhya Menon and Shutapa Paul.
- 11:30am at Karvy Kanopy. Panel discussion on Contemporary Trends in Chinese Literature. The guest nation for the year is China. Listen in to Chinese writers at HLF.
- 3.40p.m. at Telangana Tourism Pavilion. Producer Elahe Hiptoola, filmmaker Ketan Mehta and producer Suresh Jindal discuss ‘Bollywood and beyond’
- (For the complete schedule of lit sessions, cultural events and workshops, look up www.hydlitfest.org)
What’s new?
HLF 2019 is introducing Kaavya Dhaara , a full-fledged section for poetry. Fifty poets from diverse backgrounds will recite their poems in Chinese, Gujarati, Hindustani, Telugu, Urdu and English. Expect nearly 10 hours of poetry across three days, each session ending with a brief visual arts interpretative performance of a poem.
The fest will celebrate the work of danseuse Mrinalini Sarabhai and poet Kaifi Azmi, marking their birth centenaries by screening special documentaries and photo exhibitions.
A key feature of HLF has been its efforts to engage visitors of all age groups. While the stage is set for a much-needed panel discussion on #MeToo, elsewhere at the venue will be workshops to stoke the interest of young adults and children. “This is one of the things our core group decided upon — to ensure that HLF is a weekend event for the entire family. Adults can attend stage talks, book launches and panel discussions; and youngsters have sessions that will help them engage better with art, literature and life itself — workshops on creative writing, how to become an RJ, mandala and meditation,” says Amita.
In fact, the Nanha Nukkad section for toddlers began in 2018 as an experiment. The positive response prompted HLF to line up activities this year as well. The energy at the venue is to be seen to be believed, with children giving wings to their imagination with splashes of colours and teens stepping up their interest in art and books.
Chinmayi Sripaada will partake in a panel discussion on #MeToo
Talking of art, look out for installations and exhibitions by at least 40 artists across the venue. ‘Books alive’ will showcase the repertoire of photographer Jean-Marc Godès; photography exhibition ‘Women in public spaces’ will present vital points of view in the times of #MeToo. Shrishti Art Gallery curates ‘Women Without Limitations’, focussing on women who’ve risen from challenging circumstances to chalk their paths. And, there are several more. Cultural performances in concurrence with the themes and focus of HLF will mark the end of each day.
Shashi Deshpande will attend the HLF
For everyone who feels that HLF is yet to measure up to the larger lit fests held across the country, the core team is willing to listen. “We welcome suggestions from anyone has connections that can help bring in more participation from authors or artists,” says Amita. HLF functions as a not-for-profit initiative and has thrown the forum open for contributions on its website (hydlitfest.org).
