Much Awaited 12th Edition Of Chandigarh Lit Fest – Literati 2024 Is Here

The opening day of the three-day fest (Nov 22) will have a soulful musical evening ‘Aaghaaz – Shaam-E-Ghazal’ at Rani Laxmi Bai Bhawan in Sector 38 featuring renowned artist Kanwar Jagmohan

Chandigarh Lake Club on Nov 23 and 24 will be venue to thought-provoking discussions, book launches, engaging sessions, and book readings featuring some of the most renowned names in literature, art, and culture

One of the highlights will be launch of book on Ratan Tata, ‘The Legend Lives On: A Man Called Ratan Tata’

Among other highlights, actor Tusshar Kapoor will discuss challenges of single fatherhood

Over the years it has become the most important literary event on the annual art and culture calendar of the Union territory of Chandigarh, and literature lovers look forward to its dates being announced around this time of the year. The wait is over! Chandigarh Literary Society (CLS) on Saturday announced a power-packed line-up of authors and literary activities for the 12th Edition of Chandigarh Lit Fest (CLF) – Literati 2024 to be held from November 22 to 24.

Sharing details of the literary extravaganza at press conference, Festival Director of CLF Literati 2024 and Chairperson of CLS Dr Sumita Misra said, “Themed on ‘Celebrating Creativity,’ the 3-day literary festival promises an exciting mix of thought-provoking discussions, book launches, engaging sessions, and book readings featuring some of the most renowned names in literature, art, and culture.”

The festival will commence with a soulful musical evening, Aaghaaz – Shaam-E-Ghazal, featuring the renowned artist Kanwar Jagmohan at the Rani Laxmi Bai Bhawan in Sector 38 on November 22.

Thereafter, on November 23 and 24, the venue of the literary sessions will move to the Chandigarh Lake Club. On both days the sessions will start around 11 a.m. and continue till evening.

The detailed programme

November 23

• Musical performance “Chords from the Heart” by Pt. Subhash Ghosh.
• Keynote address: Madhav Kaushik, President of the Rashtriya Sahitya Akademi
• Launch of ‘Ratan Tata: A Life,’ a compelling new biography by Dr. Thomas Mathew, a retired bureaucrat, followed by an interactive session with the author
• Session on “Punjab: The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy and the Narratives Around It” will have speakers Kishwar Desai, an award-winning author, playwright & historian; and Navtej Sarna, former Indian Ambassador to USA
• Session “Punjab di Zubaan: Young Poets Discuss Punjabi Poetry in Current Times” will have young poets Randhir Uppal, Wahid Khadial, and Jassi Sangha delving into the evolving landscape of Punjabi poetry
• Session, “Legal Landmarks: Charting the Path of Justice” will feature Pinky Anand, a renowned lawyer & politician who has served as an Additional Solicitor General at the Supreme Court of India and lawyer Saudamini Sharma, who will discuss key legal milestones in India’s history
• “Voices of Valour: Stories of Bravehearts,” with General Ian Cardozo (retd.), the first officer of the Indian Army to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry; and General Syed Ata Hasnain, a highly decorated Indian Army officer and one of the foremost writers and analysts on J&K, Pakistan & Middle East
• “Ink and Imagination: Crafting Poetic Worlds,” will see Dr. Sumita Misra, a prominent poet of contemporary India & the recipient of multiple Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi Awards, in conversation with writer Aradhika Sharma on the art of crafting poetry
• Session “Daddy in the Driver’s Seat: A Single Father’s Experiences” will feature Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor, who has ventured into writing with his debut book ‘Bachelor Dad: My Journey’, a memoir that explores his experiences as a single father of his son Laksshya, born through surrogacy in 2016.

November 24

• Session ‘In Memoriam: A Tribute to Dr. Surjit Patar,’ by Poet Amy Singh and Jassi Sangha, a well-known Punjabi writer, assistant director, and film researcher.
• “History as Storytelling: Reviving the Lost Chapters,” led by author Ira Mukhoty, a best- selling writer of narrative history and author of ‘Akbar: The Great Mughal’
• Discussion on “Beauty in Diversity: Love, Language, and Poetry” featuring Rakshanda Jalil, a multi-award-winning translator, writer, and literary historian and Vijai Vardhan, a senior retired bureaucrat whose most recent book ‘Happening Haryana’ captures the history of Haryana from the Harappan age to the present
• “Sahitya Samvad: Katha aur Kalpana”: Dr. Madhav Kaushik, an eminent Hindi poet and author, who is also President, National Sahitya Akademi; and Jitendra Srivastava, a renowned poet and critic with 30 books to his credit will discuss the interplay of storytelling and imagination in Indian literature
• Session ‘AI and Creativity: Friend or Foe?’ will see Author Khushwant Singh, and Affan Yesvi, a Sufi scholar, columnist, and entrepreneur, in conversation with Renu Sinha, where they will deliberate on AI’s leap into the creative cosmos
• “The Power of Narrative Theater and Beyond”: theatre doyen MK Raina, known for his contributions as an actor, theatre director, filmmaker, scriptwriter, academic and author; and Padma Shri Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, a widely known theatre artist and director, will discuss the transformative power of theatre as a medium of storytelling
• Session “Echoes of 1984: Loss , Survival & Identity Narratives of Loss, Survival, and Identity” will offer a poignant discussion with eminent writer Bubbu Tir and Sanam Sutirath Wazir, a human rights activist and author of ‘The Kaurs of 1984: The Untold, Unheard Stories of Sikh Women’
• “Exploring India’s Civilizational Wealth: Language, Spirituality, and Heritage” will feature Pavan Varma, a writer-diplomat who has written over a dozen best-selling books; and Sankrant Sanu, an author and the founder and CEO of the publishing house Garuda Prakashan, who will offer an insightful exploration of India’s rich cultural tapestry
• “Fear and Folly: The Intersection of Horror and Satire” will see authors Soham Shah Soham, a filmmaker, fine artist, advertising company creator, and author who has debuted with novel ‘Blood Moon’; and Karan Oberoi, a model and the founder of India’s first boy-band ‘A band of boys’ will explore the delightful and disturbing blend of horror and satire in contemporary narratives

The festival will also witness the launch of more thana half dozen books in the ‘Book Buzz’ activities. These are “Udaari (Punjabi)” by Sarabjit Singh Madan; “The Diva Who Died to Live” by Sharat Ralhan; “Sulagdi Dharti” by Dr. Sanjeev Kumari RJ; ‘The Diva Who Died to Live’ by author Sharat; ‘Geisha in the Gota Patti’ by author Chetna Keer; ‘Udgar’ by author Sarika Dhupar; ‘Reflections of Ram Sevak’ by author Anirudh Tiwari.