Khushwant Singh literature festival kicks off in Kasauli on the theme 'Voices of tomorrow'

As winter nip catches up in the serene and tranquil environs of Kasauli, a bevy of litterateurs, cultural doyens and men of distinction — Bachhi Krakatoa, Renee Singh, Santosh Desai, Sangeeta Waldron, Paul Waters, Anup Soni, Adhirath Singh, among others — descend on Kasauli to exchange views, spawn ideas during the next edition of the Khushwant Singh literature festival at Kasauli Club, organised by his son Rahul Singh.

Deliberating on the theme ‘Voices of tomorrow: Navigating the future through words’, they are set to share their experiences before an avid crowd drawn from all over the region.

As a befitting beginning, Renee Singh, a close associate of Khushwant Singh, presented a lyrical homage to the noted writer Khushwant Singh who had penned many of his creations in this quaint hill town.

Columnist and writer Santosh Desai dwelt upon an interesting session on “Memes for mummy ji — making sense of post-mobile phone India".

He elaborated upon his passion for the "smallest of insignificant things" and how technology, besides empowering even an illiterate person, has a cascading effect on the mental health, while referring to mobile phones.

Poor work culture among Gen Z also drew his flak while he averred how romantic relationships  are no longer what they were but are pressure situations where partners are more of co-therapists. "Instead of relationships, there are situation-ships while politeness is described best as a mild form of dishonesty while reflecting upon its hypocrisy."

He questioned why the powerful have to be exempt from rules, illustrating how an elaborate signage displayed a whole lot of dignitaries who were exempt from paying the petty Rs 60 as toll at Sanwara while coming to Kasauli.

He lauded the disciplined Chandigarh city, describing it as a vibrant place where one would desire to live life fully in a vibrant session.