Hyderabad Literary Fest 2019 Kicks Off

The 9th edition of the Hyderabad Literary Fest kicked off with much pizzazz at the Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet on Friday.

The nationally renown event attracts several writers and bibliphiles from Hyderabad/Telangana, and focuses on bringing the spirit of the written/spoken word to the fore.

The panel, led by one of the organisers Amita Desai, welcomed everyone to the event, and highlighted that this year the language in focus was Gujarati and that the guest country was China.

The panel that inaugurated the festival consisted of Ajay Gandhi and Amita Desai (Festival Directors), and M Mahender Reddy, Director General of Police for Telangana, who was also the Chief Guest. The guests of honour included IAS officer and current Principal Secretary of Telangana's Department of Tourism B Venkatesham, an award-winning Chinese writer A Lai, and Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sitanshu Yashachandra.

Managing Director of corporate conglomerate Karvy, Adhiraj Parthasarthy, presided over the event, and shared why he associated his company and himself with the event. He said that he had always been a strong proponent of literature and that he was of the firm belief that Hyderabad's culture needed preservation.

Another key element of the entire event is that it is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Hence some sessions have been planned to discuss the life and times of the Mahatma, his connection to Gujarat, and how he helped and was helped by Gujarati literature.

Some of the key guests who will be attending and hosting sessions are:

1. Shabana Azmi (who will be talking about the poetry of her father, poet extraordinaire Kaifi Azmi)
2. Award-winning dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai
3. Singer and feminist icon Ila Arun

One of the key points that the organizers stressed on while talking about what would set this fest apart from the remaining was their commitment to let it remain of the people, by the people and for the people, and their aversion to making it a mere corporate spectacle.

The event will conclude on January 28.