Words of worth
BENGALURU: Ooru’s annual tradition of Bangalore Literature Festival – where thousands of book lovers gather to meet their favourite authors from all over the world – closed its 13th edition over the weekend at The Lalit Ashok, Seshadripuram.
Bringing together a vibrant community of writers, readers, publishers, actors, influencers, and musicians to celebrate the world of books, the festival attracted about 25,000 attendees this year, eager to share space with the best of the best in the literary circles.
Books, panels and packed rooms
Featuring a lineup of 350 speakers across two days of panel discussions, readings, and performances, the festival brought internationally acclaimed authors like William Darlymple, Ramachandra Guha and Manu S Pillai, who spoke about their books The Golden Road, Speaking with Nature, and Guns, Gods and Missionaries, respectively. “I’ve seen the festival grow over the years, and every year, the enthusiasm only grows stronger. Almost every session I’ve attended is packed, with people standing in aisles or sitting on the floor. Literature and books matter—they help us make sense of the world, connecting us to the past, present, and future,” says Pillai, a speaker on both days of the festival.
Nobel minds on stage
This year’s edition was particularly noteworthy as it featured intellectually stimulating sessions by two Nobel laureates — biologist Venki Ramakrishnan and economist Abhijit Banerjee. In a session based on his book Why We Die, Ramakrishnan delved into the moral, ethical, and social questions surrounding human mortality. “This quest is an eternal one, never fully answered. We must see ourselves as part of the larger fabric of life rather than as isolated individuals. Just as cells in our bodies die all the time and regenerate without us noticing, individuals may die, but life — and society — will carry on,” he remarks, reflecting on the societal implications of extended lifespans.
‘My grandkids don’t accept the stories I accepted from my grandmother’
Apart from a colourful lineup at BLF, the festival’s Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) segment featured over 75 sessions aimed at fostering a love for books and nature among young readers, with one of the favourite children’s storytellers, Sudha Murty’s session being packed with children and adults alike. “I consider myself a children’s author. I like children because they are very simple. Whatever you write stays with them forever,” shares Murty, while acknowledging that the way the younger generations are listening to stories has changed over the years. “When I was a child, I used to listen to whatever my Ajji used to tell me without question but my grandchildren ask questions. I told them about Samudra Manthan and my granddaughter said why should the Devas get all the things, there should have been an MoU between them. My grandkids don’t accept the stories I accepted from my grandmother. You have to give them intellectual answers and be more convincing.”
Bengaluru’s literary soul
Actor and Ranga Shankara’s artistic director, Arundhati Nag, shared her thoughts on the festival’s significance, saying, “Bengaluru has a larger critical mass of readers compared to other cities. Jaipur [Literature Festival] has become a tourist destination, but BLF feels like a local celebration — it’s for and by the people of this city.”
Exclusive sneak peek
Bibliophiles were also lucky to be the first to hear the Man Booker Prize awardee Kiran Desai read from her much-anticipated upcoming novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, which is set to release next year. “The story of Sonia and Sunny is less about finding a cure to loneliness and more about them being forced to confront and consider various loneliness in our global modernised world.”
Pop-fiction highlights
The festival highlighted popular contemporary voices. Author Chetan Bhagat introduced his book, 11 Rules for Life: Secrets to Level Up, marking his foray into the self-help genre. Another crowd favourite, Durjoy Datta, spoke about his new release, The World’s Best Worst Ex-Girlfriend. “All my female characters are driven because that’s the kind of women I grew up around,” he shared.
(With inputs from Abiya Justina Babu and Ritika Sarkar)