Tata Literature Live! Mumbai’s largest international literary festival is celebrating its 11th edition by going completely virtual. It featuring the who’s who from the world of writers, poets, thought leaders, musicians and entrepreneurs.
The virtual festival, which kicked off on a rousing note with political discussions and book launches featuring Shashi Tharoor, Anil Dharker and others on Monday, November 16 will conclude on Sunday, November 22.
The festival is has speakers such as Sudha Murthy, Fareed Zakaria, Hrishikesh Kannan, Jerry Pinto, Mallika Sarabhai, Neil Gaiman, Noam Chomsky, Shobhaa De and Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi. You can catch all these sessions and talks on the Tata Literature Live! website, YouTube channel and social media pages.
However, if you ask us, there are a few sessions you absolutely must schedule in your timetable. We’re super excited about them, and for good reason.
Debate: Indian Democracy Is In Danger
India is known as the world’s largest democracy. After her Independence, the subcontinent became a democratic nation wherein the citizens of the country were given the right to vote and elect their leaders. One of the tenets of democracy is that all members of society should be equal. However, there is a huge gap between what is ideal and what is real. Renowned dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai and writer and sesquipedalian Shashi Tharoor speak in favour while journalist R Jagannathan and political leader Shazia Ilmi speak against the topic as writer Vir Sanghvi chairs what promises to be a rousing debate.
When: Thursday, November 19 at 6pm
Where: Tata Lit Live YouTube, TataLitLive.in
Do You Want to Be a Storyteller?
Anybody who calls herself a reader has definitely read Jeffrey Archer (pictured above). After all, he’s the only best-selling author to have made it to the top of the list for fiction, short stories and non-fiction. So if you’re harbouring dreams of finally finishing that manuscript you’ve been working on for years or are simply a Jeffrey Archer fan, then this workshop is tailor-made for you.
When: Thursday, November 19 at 7.45pm
Where: Tata Lit Live YouTube, TataLitLive.in
Spinning Tales for the Web: Creating Compelling Content
If there’s one thing we have collectively done during the pandemic lockdown, it’s been Netflix and chill. With OTT platforms being our only source of entertainment, we’ve watched more shows in the past months than ever before. And not just because we didn’t have an option, but also because they’re extremely compelling and fun to watch. That’s the power of good content. Well-known author and columnist Farrukh Dhondy divulges the secrets to creating content for enthralling, long-running web series in this session.
When: Friday, November 20 at 3pm
Where: Tata Lit Live YouTube, TataLitLive.in
Tata Literature Live! 2020 Poet Laureate
There is nothing complimentary we can say about Javed Akhtar that hasn’t been said before. One of India’s national treasures, the scriptwriter, lyricist, poet and activist will be awarded the epithet of this year’s Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate followed by a reading of his poems and then a conversation with Anil Dharker, the festival founder.
When: Friday, November 20 at 6pm
Where: Tata Lit Live YouTube, TataLitLive.in
Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Award
Easily one of India’s favourite writers, Ruskin Bond is one writer who is equally popular among children and adults. His stories painted such an appealing, idyllic picture of the hills of India, that it made us yearn for summer holidays spent at hill stations. His literary contributions will be commemorated by the Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Award followed by a conversation with filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj who has adapted Bond’s The Blue Umbrella and Susanna’s Seven Husbands as 7 Khoon Maaf.
When: Saturday, November 21 at 6.30pm
Where: Tata Lit Live YouTube, TataLitLive.in
For a complete schedule of Tata Literature Live! go here.
