The Hindu Lit for Life is a very important part of the Group’s portfolio brand events that are designed to engage with the readers beyond the printed word, L.V. Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group said in his opening address on Day 2 of the 10th edition of the The Hindu Lit for Life 2021.
“Some of the areas are integral to our ethos. I do hope the conversations around ideas and with authors at this year’s edition of The Hindu Lit for Life engage our readers, offer them plenty of thoughts worth thinking about and inspire them to expand both the depth and width of what they read,” he said. “But, I do believe what we read significantly shapes who we are,” Mr. Navaneeth said.
In his special address, Suresh Nambath, Editor, said The Hindu’s support for the principle of freedom of speech has remained the cornerstone of the festival in the 10 years of its existence. “The newspaper began the Literary Review in 1990. This was the only supplement devoted to books and literature brought out by a daily. From this was born the idea of a literature festival to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Hindu’s Literary Review in 2010,” he recalled.
From a single session over an evening, the festival grew to a three-day event that reflects the spirit of creativity and strength of the written word and to investigate the issues of the time, Mr. Nambath said.
Apart from fiction, both popular and literary, sessions have covered travel, science, politics, art, poetry, fantasy, food, health, children’s writing, Dalit writing, feminist works, theatre, films and more, he added. The festival provides a platform for readers to interact with authors and critics and for independent publishers to showcase their offerings, Mr. Nambath said.
The effort is to build bridges across political and social divides and create conversations to further debate, provoke thought that make knowledge and understanding possible, he noted.
The event is organised in association with Rajasthan Tourism; Realty partner: Casagrand; Banking partner: State Bank of India; Insurance partner: Life Insurance Corporation of India. Hindustan Institute of Technology & Science is the knowledge partner and Higginbothams is the bookstore partner.