Sir,
It was a happy coincidence I arrived a day before the Mysuru Lit Fest, which I had the good fortune to attend.
Having initiated the Taj Literature Festival in Agra in 2012, and having attended a few Lit Fests in Jaipur and other cities, I can bet Mysuru has made a very good beginning. I am sure the next festival will be grander and longer. I was told another festival was organised in the first week of June. It would be better if the organisers of the two join hands and exchange notes on their experiences.
Without doubt the lectures by Historian Ramachandra Guha and eminent writer Prof. S.L. Bhyrappa were a treat. One would love to hear them again and again. May be the organisers will post their videos on YouTube. Shashi Deshpande was outspoken and candid. Kaveri Nambisan was equally forthright and provided valuable insights as a “literary surgeon.” The session on role of media could have been longer and more interactive but obviously time was a constraint.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous free lunch and coffee. I hope this generosity will continue in future too.
The organisers have been repeatedly patting their backs for the “house full” feat but I suspect a majority were English teachers with their ‘bored’ students. Pardon me, but I hardly saw a student asking a question. Those who fielded intelligent questions were seniors, all known to Prof. Belliappa.
Also, the festival spirit was found missing, and at one point an elderly person sitting next to me wondered if the event was a seminar or a conference. May be this impression was created by the venue of the festival, which was sober, dignified and academic in a popular way.
Since Kannada literature was not being discussed, the organisers should have called it the Mysuru English Literature Festival.
I take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation and would like to thank the organisers for a wonderful festival, and look forward to the next.
– Brij Khandelwal, Camp: Gokulam, 26.6.2017
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