Celebrating literature, art, music, poetry and freedom of expression is the third edition of Noida International Literature Festival (NILF). Organised by Vibhor Festival Trust, it will draw over 60 eminent personalities from India and abroad, including writers, artists, academics, scholars, publishers, politicians, journalists and analysts.
The festival lineup includes book readings, talks, panel discussions, debates, book launches, music and dance, and poetry and performances, in tandem with this year’s theme, The World of Dreams and Imagination. This involves discussions on subjects like LGBTQ+, environmental health, horror fiction writing, India’s rising soft power, Hindi literature, publishing process, English fiction, women empowerment, and Dogri writing, among others.
NILF 2019’s major highlight is the talk ‘Pauranik Aakhyaan Lekhan Ki Chunautiyaan’ by author Narendra Kohli. Considered a pioneer in creating literary works based on the Puranas, Kohli will engage visitors in an intellectually-stimulating session. “Also, Sudeep Sen will have a session on celebrating the life and works of poet Kaifi Azmi, and Ayushman Jamwal talking about Dogri poetry,” says NILF Festival Director Swati Sharma, adding, “For the first time, our special Spotlight Panel Discussion will witness filmmakers Onir, Abhijit Iyer Mitra, Raga Olga D’Silva talking on Celebrating the Queer.”
Among other prominent discussions, Feroze Varun Gandhi will talk about A Rural Manifesto: Realising India’s Future Through Her Villages; Emmanuela Shinta, Arushi Nishank, Neha Joshi and Ajay Suri will discuss the need for global strategy for environmental health with Dr Shipra Mathur as the moderator, and Aditi Maheshwari Goyal will moderate a discussion comprising Neil D’Silva, Jay Alani and Jayanti Rangnathan on the art of horror-fiction writing. Film lyricist Manoj Muntashir will give a keynote address on Meri Fitrat Hai Mastana.
Aspiring authors can turn their writing dreams into a reality by availing of the publishing opportunity that the fest organisers would be offering through their special initiative, I Am Author. The festival will also give a platform to the first-time authors, from all over the country, to share their literary works here.
Explaining why Noida was chosen as the venue for holding a literature festival, Sharma says, “The idea was to give Noida residents, who lead very fast-paced lives, a break from their monotonous schedules. Prior to NILF, Noida didn’t have a literary platform where people could come, meet and discuss with one another their creative ideas.”
The reaction from residents, she says, has been tremendous and encouraging. “Visitors are the biggest gainers as they get to experience everything under one roof – politics, movies, literature, women empowerment, music, social media, poetry and more,” says Sharma.
Fest highlight: When: November 16 & 17 |