The spring edition of Literati was an all-inclusive event for book lovers

Sheetal

Spring marks the arrival of many colours and fragrances and the environment was no different when authors, literary agents and book lovers gathered at the UT State Guest House to celebrate the spring edition of Literati 2024. Organised by the Chandigarh Literary Society (CLS), the one-day event was an eclectic gala with some intellectually stimulating conversations.

With sessions that ranged from The Craft and Nuances of Writing Fiction to Genres of Writing: From Sports to Politics to India-Pakistan Duels to Book to Bestseller, the fest covered all aspects involved with writing and writers. It saw the participation of many distinguished speakers and popular writers.

Ajay Bisaria, renowned diplomat, who served as Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and was a key aide to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has authored Anger Management: The Troubled Diplomatic Relationship between India and Pakistan. He talked about the conflict and tension that have characterised the connection between India and Pakistan.

Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri, former IFS officer, spoke on her debut novel Swallowing the Sun, which has been earning widespread critical acclaim. She has been at the forefront of ensuring gender equality. She held many important positions at the UN. Classical dancer and choreographer Sharmistha Mukherjee, the highly talented daughter of the late President of India Pranab Mukherjee, was one of the leading luminaries at the Spring Fest. Her book Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers has been much talked about.

For poetry lovers, there was an interactive session titled, Muneer Niazi Ka Fann Aur Shakshiyat, with Amitabha Bagchi, a DSC Prize winner for South Asian Literature in 2019. An author of four novels, his latest book Lost Paradise is an anthology of Muneer Niazi’s ghazals, which he has translated from Urdu to English. When came the question to what drove Bagchi, an English novel writer, to choose Niazi’s poetry, he said that he could connect with Niazi’s work as those verses reflected the emotions and feelings he was dealing with. He said, “I think Niazi’s poetry and other works are able to blur the difference between anubhuti and abhivyakti. This is something very few writers are capable of, and to become a successful writer one must read his works.” Muneer Niyazi was born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab but lived in Pakistan after Partition.

Another interesting session Book to Bestseller presented Suhail Mathur in conversation with Affan Yesvi. They talked about how to approach a publisher after finishing a manuscript. Suhail, an award winning and bestselling author, shared, “You should to go for a publisher who believes in your book. The big names are there in the market but lots of sub-teams of these publishing houses are looking for certain kind of subjects or genre. Their goal is to get business going.” Sakoon Singh, author of In the Land of Lovers and Gurpartap Khairah, author of How Dinkar Lost His Job and Found a Life talked about their respective creative journeys. There was an interesting discussion on sports with Gaurav Gala. His book Awakening the Blue Tigers: India’s Quest for Football’s Holy Grail deals with concerns surrounding the development and ecosystem of football in India, and veterans of the sports industry. In addition, accomplished author Priyam Gandhi, who has written three non-fiction books, discussed her work. Together, they had an interesting discussion on the nuances of sports and politics.

Author Deep Haldar painted the socio-economic picture of present-day Bangladesh and how it forever carries the scars of Partition and identity crisis. His book Being Hindu in Bangladesh shares the first-person accounts of Hindus who survived communal violence in Bangladesh.

Sumita Misra, Chairperson, Chandigarh Literary Society (CLS), said that plenty of thoughts go into making the spring edition, which although a day affair, covers creatively vibrant sessions.