Another think fest comes our way, bringing eminent writers, thinkers, journalists, and other artists on a single platform, and promising of being free-flowing, evocative and radical. The two-day fest named ‘Speaking Allowed’, organised by Elsewhere Foundation, with corporate support from Hero Realty, starts at CII Northern Region Headquarters, Sector 31, Chandigarh, on March 30.
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On the second day (March 31), the scene shifts to the lawns of the Chandigarh Club, Sector 1, where, in a curated evening ‘Akhtari’, well known singer Vidya Shah will bring us closer to the magic of Begum Akhtar with her rendition of the iconic singer’s works.
Photos By: Elsewhere Foundation
There are no invitations or tickets. Both days’ events are free and open to all.
The opening day, starting in the afternoon, will have four separate sessions discussing themes like what encompasses Indian Literature, how do we view Punjab through the lens of Art, are our young reading enough and what are narratives coming out of Kashmir.
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Sharing details of the first edition of ‘Speaking Allowed’ at a press meet on Tuesday, Nagina Bains and Sukant Deepak, co-founders of Elsewhere Foundation, and author Ashish Kaul, who is also Chief Marketing Officer of Hero Realty, said the participating writers, artists and journalists will engage in thoughtful debates and dialogues during the various sessions.
The sessions on Day 1 will start at 2 pm.
In the 1st session, ‘Who is afraid of Indian Literature?’, writer Khalid Jawed, one of the recipients of the JCB Prize 2022 for literature; Arunava Sinha, Crossword-prize winning translator; Ravi Singh, Publisher, Speaking Tiger; and Nirupama Dutt, award-winning poet and journalist, will reflect on how Indian literature in different languages is making headlines and winning awards after being translated into English.
‘Gazing at Punjab through Art’ will be the theme of the 2nd session and feature celebrated singer Rabbi Shergill and acclaimed artists Thukral and Tagra. They will talk about contemporary Punjab, aligning their thoughts, ideas, and vision through their art. The session will be moderated by filmmaker and scholar Daljit Ami.
In the 3rd session, dwelling on the theme ‘The Reading Young: Busting the myth that the young are not reading enough’, children’s writer and filmmaker Samina Mishra and graphic novelist Ita Mehrotra will look at what young adults are reading.
The opening day will conclude with a session on ‘Writing Kashmir’ by author Ashish Kaul, and performance artist and writer Inder Salim. They will stress the need to constantly bring alive different narratives from Kashmir.
What: 2-day Think Fest ‘Speaking Allowed’
When: March 30 & March 31
Where
March 30: CII Northe Region Headquarters, Sector 31, Chandigarh, starting at 2:00 p.m.
March 31: Curated evening ‘Akhtari’: Chandigarh Club, Sector 1, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Entry: Free for all, no invites, no tickets
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