Speak Up, Speak Out at Bangalore LitFest: 2017 edition to be tinderbox of current issues

From remembering Gauri Lankesh and online trolling to Aadhaar and Caste, BLF 2017 is ready to roll.
Speak Up, Speak Out at Bangalore LitFest: 2017 edition to be tinderbox of current issues
Speak Up, Speak Out at Bangalore LitFest: 2017 edition to be tinderbox of current issues
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Current affairs will dominate the sixth edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival, as journalists and literary luminaries will share space with film stars and cricketers in the two-day affair scheduled for October 28 and 29.

In total, 130 speakers will take the stage at the event tackling a range of issues from politics, culture and language to sports, film and literature. With a theme of ‘Speak Up, Speak Out', the event begins with a session titled ‘Remembering Gauri’ by Ammu Joseph with Nimi Ravindran and Padmavati Rao, in remembrance of journalist Gauri Lankesh who was killed by unknown assailants in September this year. The shock and fallout of her death has dominated conversations leading to multiple protests across the country.

Kannada authors are also represented with Indira Lankesh discussing prominent Kannada women writing their autobiographies alongside Bhargavi Narayan and Dr Vijayamma. Also represented are Sahitya Yuva Puraskar winners Shanthi K. Appanna, Vikram Hathwar and Abdul Rasheed while historian S. Settar will discuss the origins of the language.

The session will be followed by ‘Jingoism vs Patriotism’ by historian Ramachandra Guha, which is among 50 sessions scheduled for the day that includes Jairam Ramesh and Perumal Murugan speaking on current issues like Aadhar and caste discrimination.

The session which promises to be exciting is the one where Swarajya Editor R Jagannathan, Scroll’s Naresh Fernandes, writer Manu Jospeh, student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, journalist Sagarika Ghose and Suketu Mehta come together with Harish Bijoor.

Cricketers Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble will also make their presence felt at the event. Kumble will be with journalists Gideon Haigh and Rajdeep Sardesai in conversation with Sharda Ugra on ‘How India’s T20 World Cup Win Changed Indian and World Cricket’, and Rahul Dravid will take the stage with Sardesai in conversation with Prem Panicker on ‘India’s Democracy XI’

International authors including South African writer Imraan Coovadia, Sri Lankan humourist Chhimi Tenduf-La and British journalist Adrian Levy will grace the occasion brushing shoulders with young Indian artistes including Varun Agarwal, Savi Sharma and Kanhaiya Kumar.

The News Minute is the Online Media partner of BLF.

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