Hyderabad Literature Festival 2024 unveils a vibrant mosaic
HYDERABAD: The 14th edition of Hyderabad Literature Festival, which commenced on Friday got a warm response with around 15,000 people attending. The festival went beyond literature this year and included three new streams in its schedule. The star attraction was author Amish Tripathi who talked about his new book ‘Unearthing the Power of Murti Puja’. The diverse range of activities included a session on ‘chocolate meditation’ by Chaitanya Muppala, founder of Manam Chocolates.
The day began with flag-hoisting and singing of the national anthem by Drama Association of the Deaf, with Jayesh Ranjan presiding as the chairperson. The plenary session hosted author Amish Tripathi who revealed that the fifth book from the Ramachandra series will be out soon and will merge the Shiva trilogy in it.
Talking about his latest book on ‘Murti Puja’, he said that it is written in a conversational format and debates different perspectives. He highlighted that Indian culture is comfortable with dealing with pluralities and is not fixated on a single theory like Western society. “We bow down in a Namaste to honour the divine in the other, which exemplifies the idea of respecting the other’s perspective. We may not agree with each other but we respect the other’s point of view,” Tripathi said.
The following session in the literary stream was a discussion between Aakar Patel and C Rammanohar Reddy about former’s book ‘After Messiah’. Reddy shared that the novel is centred around the need to make ethical decisions despite facing obstacles and finds its resolution in the moral integrity of the characters. On being asked if it was a deliberate choice to merge the past and the present in the book to highlight the contradictions of the time we are living in, Patel said, “The book is a safe place for those who want to dive deeper into certain issues. Going beyond the non-fiction is necessary. There has been no better time for writers in India than now.”
Chocolate meditation
In the ‘Stage Talks’ section, Chaitanya Muppala, founder of Manam Chocolates, held a ‘chocolate meditation’ session with the audience. The attendees were given five different samples of chocolates and a cacao bean. “First hold it and observe the size, the colour and texture of the chocolate. Then smell it and take into the aroma of it. Finally, when you put it in your mouth, don’t chew, just let it melt. Identify the various ingredients of the different chocolates you have,” Muppala said, highlighting the sensory experience of having a chocolate. Manam will also hold a workshop on Saturday where he will go through the scientific process of cacao fermentation and drying.
Climate in focus
Climate Conversations, a new stream this year, started with a panel discussion on ‘Imagining an Alternative World: Curiosity, Compassion and the Planet’. Usha Raman moderated the discussion between Rohan Chakravarty, Sameer Shisodia and Srivi Kalyan. Chakravarty shared an anecdote from his visit to COP28 conference in Dubai. “I was one of the cartoonists at COP28 last year and somebody from Kenya, who had been tagged as Ms climate, came wearing something that brought up the link between genital mutilation and climate crises. An issue like this doesn’t come into our minds when we think of climate but they highlighted how young girls are married off at an early age due to droughts and other issues beind exacerbated due to climate crises. we need to see how these personal issues are connected to climate. Visualising these connections is important,” he said.
Books on President Murmu’s life
Indigenous and Endangered Languages is another new addition to the festival. The discussions started with GN Devy highlighting the importance of ancient languages in a modern world. The following session invited authors Damayanti Beshra and Kasturi Ray who had written books on the life and struggles of President Draupadi Murmu. Ray is also a senior TNIE journlist from Bhubaneswar.
Beshra shared her strong connection with the president. “We have a deep connection as were born in the same district and nearby villages. We were also college and hostel mates. I was inspired by her sheer courage, something she possessed since childhood. She is an extremely kind lady who continues to strive harder in whatever she does,” Beshra said.
Ray said that her journey was the exact opposite of Beshra’s because she had never met the president. “I talked to about 200 people close to her while researching this book but not a single person said anything negative about her despite being she being a woman in power. She doesn’t respond badly to people who talk bad about her. She is a woman of great resolve and truly an inspiration,” she said. Both revealed that there a lot of excitement among the Santhals and the Rairangpur area from where she belongs when she became the president.
Hyderabad and Ishq
In storytelling, Abdul Nayeem revived the age-old love story of Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah and Bhagmati. “A lot has been written about the two but in my understanding, they remain characters from a legend. However, the life and times of Quli Qutb Shah paint a picture of Hyderabad as an open and tolerant city. He was quite a colourful personality, delving into all sort of arts and performance, which signifies both the economic and cultural wealth of the city,” Nayeem said. Serish Nanisetti, the author of Golconda/Bagnagar/Hyderabad, shared how Golconda was not only famous across the world for its diamonds but other trade objects and craftswork like Muslin, bezoars and Paithani sarees also attracted traders to this region.
Besides talks, people were seen huddled around the book selling corners (where students can find a rich collection of books on literary and cultural theory), Meet-My-Author sections, art exhibitions and food stalls. The film screenings and workshops also kept the attendees engaged. In the evening, cultural event by music band Parvaaz rocked the visitors with their psychedelic rock music fused with folk elements. ‘Finding Feet’ brought in unconventional artists who redefine dance in their performances.
What’s ahead
The next two days will also be packed with more interesting conversations and performances, featuring authors like Gurcharan Das, Badri Narayan, Meena Kandasamy, chef-scientist Krish Ashok, storyteller and educator, Lopamudra Mohanty, former IFS Mani Shankar Aiyar, MP Shashi Tharoor and many more dignitaries. The workshops and film screenings will take place at District 150. The Science and the City, the third new addition to the festival, will begin their sessions on Saturday.