Novelists and historians will brush shoulders with film stars and cricketers at the sixth edition of the Banaglore Literature Festival (BLF), scheduled to be held in the city on October 28 and 29.
The festival will feature 130 speakers, including Ramachandra Guha, who will speak at the session titled ‘Jingoism vs. Patriotism’, and Jairam Ramesh, who will speak on ‘Aadhaar — Dystopia or Utopia’.
In keeping with the spirit of the festival, the sessions will cover a range of issues from politics and current affairs to sports and children’s fiction. Multiple sessions will be held on cricket, with former cricketer Anil Kumble and journalists Gideon Haigh and Rajdeep Sardesai in conversation with Sharda Ugra on ‘How India’s T20 World Cup Win Changed Indian and World Cricket’, and Rahul Dravid and Mr. Sardesai in conversation with Prem Panicker on ‘India’s Democracy XI’.
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Current affairs will also find space, with discussions on nationalism and violence against women journalists, among other topics.
Young talent in Kannada writing will be represented by Sahitya Yuva Puraskar winners Shanthi K. Appanna, Vikram Hathwar and Abdul Rasheed. Historian S. Settar will discuss the origins of the language. There will also be special sessions for children, with workshops, storytelling sessions and creative games planned.
BLF and Atta Galatta, the city-based bookstore, will also present the Atta Galatta – Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize to honour the best of English writing.
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“Most of the speakers have never been to BLF before. A session titled ‘Speak Out, Speak Up’ will strive to create direct conversations on the issues that matter most. Discussions on women characters in mythology, the future of public libraries, and on books made into films are likely to draw a lot of interest,” said Shinie Antony, director of the festival.