HYDERABAD: As a ‘people’s festival’, in the past 13 years, HLF has aimed to expand its scope as a ‘literary’ festival consistently. Cultural and artistic events like poetry, storytelling and performance have always been a part of the festival.
However, this year, a strategic shift has been made towards Science and climate, and a testament to that is the venue’s shift to Sattva Knowledge City.
Undoubtedly, the 14th edition of the Hyderabad Literature Festival (HLF) will be seeing a significant expansion in scale. To accommodate an estimated crowd of around 40,000 attendees, the venue has been shifted to a technological hub, departing from its traditional locations at artistic and academic centres like HPS, Vidyaranga, Lamakaan, and others.
The new venue, chosen with careful consideration by the organisers, factors in the substantial number of participants and the diverse range of concurrent activities. Sattva Knowledge City provides ample parking space, a departure from the challenges posed by the busy Begumpet traffic at HPS, where the festival was organised for five consecutive years.
The organisers have also partnered with the metro to facilitate bus services every 15 minutes to and from Raigurdam Metro Station, enhancing accessibility for attendees.
This year, some noteworthy additions have been made by introducing three thematic streams: Climate Conversations, Indigenous and Endangered Languages, and Science and the City—around which activities will be organised.
A distinctive feature of the festival is that registration is completely free, which is an advantage for students who attend the festival in large numbers, whether as volunteers or participants. consistently attracting a substantial number of student volunteers and participants.
“It is true that we have always been in close connection with academic centres and we aim to retain our followers from those sections. This year too, there is a targeted focus on children and young adults but also an attempt to move beyond that,” said Amita Desai, one of the organisers. “For example, in the Climate Conversations stream, one of the aspects brings teachers into focus and showcases innovative ways to incorporate environmental education across various subjects in schools,” she added.
With over 200 diverse voices, this year’s HLF promises to transcend borders and languages, offering a captivating journey through two literary landscapes: Odia literature, designated as the “Indian Language in Focus,” and the enchanting beauty of Norway, the “Country in Focus.”