HYDERABAD: The seventh edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival that will be inaugurated today will have a host of events for literary and cultural buffs alike.
Ashok Vajpayee, noted Hindi poet and literary critic, will inaugurate the session at 9:30 am in the presence of Ma Teresita C Daza, ambassador of Philippines for India, which is the guest nation for this year’s festival and Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary for IT department.
There will be panel discussions, one-on-one conversations, film screenings and other cultural events. Events on the first part of the day include a session with Vaasanthi, author of the English biography on late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa and a display of interpretations of childhood in the city by children from the slums. The later half of the day will have the sessions -- Keeping Literature Alive and a special session, The Philippines: Carrying, Writing, Translating and Critiquing Across.
A 20-minute short film, Lakshman Rekha directed by Geetika Tandon, former academic head of Annapurna International School of Film and Media that talks about gender-based violence and the way they are politicised and sensationalised will be screened in the afternoon.
A session with Nandita Haskar, human rights lawyer and feminist, moderated by Kalpana Kannabiran, lawyer and activist will be held in the evening.
As a tribute to Mahasweta Devi, eminent writer, poet and social activist, a play based on her short story, Standadayini that translates to ‘Breast-Giver’, will be performed in the later part of the day. The day will conclude with a cultural event by artists from the Philippines.