10th Delhi Literature Festival celebrates Indian writing

Express News Service

From Friday through Sunday of the last two weeks of February, several known faces from the Indian literary community will come together to celebrate the power of words at the 10th edition of The Delhi Literature Festival.

The inaugural ceremony of the Festival took place on Wednesday at DLF Avenue, Saket, in the presence of dignitaries including ambassadors, authors, and others. Keeping in mind the current COVID situation, the Festival will take place virtually this year. 

A love for literature

The event began on a cheerful note with artiste Vivaan performing a string of classic Bollywood songs to keep the audience entertained. This was followed by a welcome address by Ajay Sharma, founder-director of Delhi Literature Festival.

Shortly thereafter, esteemed guests including senior IPS officer Tajender Luthra (currently posted as IG in BPRD); South Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor Mukesh Suryan, Lt General PJS Pannu, actress Pavleen Gujral, entrepreneur Blossom Kocchar, poet and former All India Radio deputy DG Laxmi Shankar Bajpai among others also addressed the crowd. 

Talking about the event, Luthra mentioned, “I see this as a positive step by the Delhi Literature Festival to promote literature. I am very happy to see a young crowd here. If young people support literature, then it can survive and thrive…Literature is the best medium and the best lens to see ourselves, [understand] who we are and where we have to go in life.” He also recited his self-written poem titled Main Abhari Hu Aapka for the gathering. 

A community of writers

The Delhi Literature Festival will take place over a course of six days – it is scheduled on February 18 to 21, and February 25 to 27 – with many sessions by luminaries of literature, films, and politics. Indian social reformer and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi will talk about his latest book COVID-19: Sabhyata ka Sankat aur Samadha.

Sessions with renowned authors from the Indian literary community such as Devdutt Pattanaik and Durjoy Datta will also be part of this event. Thiruvananthapuram MP and author Shashi Tharoor, Union Culture Minister Kishan G Reddy, lawyer and politician Manish Tewari, as well as economist Ila Patnaik will also deliver a couple of sessions.

Apart from this, Bollywood actors Neena Gupta, Anupam Kher, and Divya Dutta will be part of the festival.