The speaker of the house was Hannelore Vogt with Satish Hosamani, the former is the director of Cologne Public Library, Germany and the latter represented Karnataka State Libraries. The session started with Hannelore presenting us some articles which looked like toys and one would wonder about its significance, only to realise from her presentation that those were printed out from the 3D printer of Hannelore’s public library.
First Draft to Marketing – How to get Published
The author of ‘The Amazing Racist’, ‘Panther’, and ‘Loyal Stalkers’, Tenduf-La grew up in a bunch of cities that includes Hong Kong, London, Delhi, and Colombo. Through his own experiences, Chhimi Tenduf-La brings the nuances in the pursuit of getting a book published.
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The Family as a Microcosm
Bangaloreans got a chance to interact face to face with the renowned author Sadiqa Peerbhoy, who launched her latest book on the first day of Bangalore Literature Festival, 2017. ‘The Family as a Microcosm’ is the story of a dysfunctional family which is trying to survive through a distraught Bombay, post-Babri Masjid demolition. While both the family and the city are in turmoil, the author tries to portray how deeply the fate of both these two entities are intertwined. Whatever happens to the family, happens to the city and hence, the word ‘microcosm’ fits so aptly into the title.
Voyage of Words – Translators Set Sail
Antara Gange
Women who have been through the toughest of times that life has thrown at them, Indira Lankesh and Dr. Vijaya opened in this interaction with M S Asha Devi about what makes them the strong women they are. Indira Lankesh is the wife of Late P Lankesh and author of , ‘Sour Mango and I’ (autobiography), and Dr. Vijaya, the first woman journalist in Kannada, was the one who brought the International Film Festival to Bangalore. She also launched the intellectual magazine for women, ‘Namma Manasa’. M S Asha Devi, a feminist writer elicits the working of the minds of these women who embodied strength.
Jingoism Vs. Patriotism
Weekend mornings of an octoberish Bangalore can carry you into an inertia that is extremely difficult to overcome. However, this is a time loved and awaited by writers, poets, and patrons of literature for reasons transcending into the creative streak of such people. As such, this is perhaps the best time for a celebration like Bangalore Literature Festival to happen. When you have a Historian and Author as eminent as Ramachandra Guha to speak with you right in the morning, you can’t really ask for more. ‘Jingoism Vs. Patriotism’ has been a lingering debate for a long time in our society and has gained refreshed vitality in the recent times. Guha spoke on this subject. Continue reading “Jingoism Vs. Patriotism”
The City as a Protagonist
How often do we flow into the city and see it as a living, breathing space that weaves in memories? Imraan Coovadia, the author of five novels (‘The Wedding, ‘Tales of the Metric System’, to name a few), Suketu Mehta of ‘Maximum City’ fame, in conversation with Ravi Singh of ‘Speaking Tiger’ were in to discuss the workings of the city, and what these residents bring to help the cities thrive. Both authors bring in their experience of being in multiple cities in their lives, tracing it from their forefathers seeking to move out of their cities in India to cities elsewhere around the globe. Continue reading “The City as a Protagonist”
Whose Side are You On?
Two of the most prominent sports writers and columnists sat to deliberate on the ever-changing landscape of the game of cricket. As T20s shatter all records of sports viewership and fandom and the International cricket based on the idea of nation loyalties paves way for the domestic leagues of T20s, Gideon Haigh and Suresh Menon discussed the significance of modern cricket dynamics and the future of fandom in the session titled ‘Whose side are you on?’.
History of the Kannada Script and Language
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சாதியும் நானும் – Caste and I
“Caste haunts you in the food that you eat. It might offer a moment of solace through community support. It might even offer you a god but there are more disadvantages to it”, says Ambai (C.S.Lakshmi) who has translated the Perumal Murugan’s ‘சாதியும் நானும்’ into English. The book is titled, “Caste and I” which was also the subject of discussion of conversation between Ambai, Perumal Murugan and the publisher Kannan Sundaram. Continue reading “சாதியும் நானும் – Caste and I”
Kaavya Sanje
Kaavya Sanje, or an evening of poetry is a regular event that was started in 2013. Sixteen editions later, the 17th was at Bangalore Literature Festival 2017. These evenings bring together various poets from across the cities who write in various languages. Poetry in Kannada, Hindi, Urdu, and English found their way this evening.
Indira
Journalist and News anchor, Sagarika Ghose’s book titled ‘Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister’, was published by Juggernaut Books to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. ‘Insecure daughter, Betrayed wife, National heroine, tough dictator’, reads the blurb for the book. Journalist, Political commentator and documentary filmmaker, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta too began his discussion with Sagarika on the same note. Continue reading “Indira”