Hyderabad hosts Literary Festival from January 24
HYDERABAD: The city is set to host the Hyderabad Literary Festival from January 24 to 26. The three-day event will be held at Sattva Knowledge City in Hitec City and will coincide with Republic Day celebrations.
Three days of debates on contemporary issues
Organisers said the festival will feature writers, experts, social activists and cultural artistes across multiple sessions. Entry is free and open to the public.
Discussions will cover literature, climate change, genetics, languages, digital infrastructure, health and vaccines, emerging technologies and culture. Special programmes have been planned for children and teenagers, including Dream Catchers sessions, while youth focused events such as Youngistan Nukkad, book talks and cultural performances will also be held.
Governor to inaugurate festival
The festival will be inaugurated on January 24 at 10 am by Governor Jishnu Dev Varma. At 11 am the same day, Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Shantha Sinha will speak on “The power of compassion”. A separate session on freedom and regulation of information will feature Dhanya Rajendran and Pamela Philipose.
Wide-ranging speakers across three days
On January 25, sessions will include “India: the future” with Gopalkrishna Gandhi, discussions on liberal economy and politics with Karthik Muralidharan and Sanjaya Baru, a panel on Hyderabad in September 1948 with Afsar Mohammed and Zeenat Khan, and “Many Ramayanas, many lessons” with Anand Neelakantan. Former judge S Muralidhar will speak on “Incomplete justice: Supreme Court at 75”.
On January 26, Abhijit Banerjee and Karthik Muralidharan will speak on development, governance and poverty. Other sessions will feature Santosh Desai and Vandana Vasudevan on digital forms and technological disruption, and Ipsita Chakravarty with Manisha Sobhrajani on contemporary Kashmir narratives.
The Ajay Gandhi Memorial Lecture titled “An undying flame: Independent India” will be delivered by Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Bakhtiar Dadabhoy.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics stalls will be set up by CCMB on January 24; L V Prasad Eye Institute and BITS Pilani Hyderabad on January 25; and IIT Hyderabad, University of Hyderabad, the Astronomy Club and TIFR Hyderabad on January 26.