International Booker Prize winners Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi to adorn the stage; Operation Sindoor, Bofors scam, translation, wildlife conservation among key topics listed for panel discussions

Mysore/Mysuru: Kannada litterateur Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi, who shot to fame by winning The International Booker Prize-2025 for ‘Heart Lamp,’ a collection of stories, will be adorning the stage at the forthcoming 9th edition of Mysuru Literature Festival, scheduled to be held on July 5 and 6 at Hotel Southern Star in city.

Founder-Director and Chairperson of Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs Charitable Trust Shubha Sanjay Urs addressed media persons at Pathrakarthara Bhavan in city this morning. The literature festival is being organised by Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs Charitable Trust.

Urs said, erstwhile Mysore Royal Family Member Pramoda Devi Wadiyar will be inaugurating the literature festival at 10 am. Former Director of Defence Research and Development Library (DRDL) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Padma Shri Prahlada Rama Rao, Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi are among the guests of honour.

The inaugural session will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Lighting the Way – Kannada, Women and the Booker’s International Stage’, featuring Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi in conversation with Bharath Diwakar. Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson and author Gopalakrishna Gandhi will speak on legacy in ‘A Name Inherited, A Voice Earned’, while author and critic Ranjit Hoskote, journalist Arundhati Nath and author Deepti Navaratna will discuss about translation and global outreach in a session on ‘Transcending the barriers of the dialect and reaching out to the world’.

Novelist Anita Nair and writer Mark Abott will explore crime fiction in ‘Beauty and Brutality’ followed by Romulus Whitaker, Ishan Shanavas and Janaki Lenin who will discuss about ‘The Wild Fades, The Poison Stays’ and Mita Kapur, Chirag Thakkar and Kanishka Gupta along with Anita Nair, will be discussing on the topic ‘Working Behind The Covers’.

Mani Shankar Aiyar, former diplomat and Jeet Thayil are also  among the panellists. The highlight is a panel discussion on the topic ‘Op Sindoor and The Escalation Matrix: How close were India and Pakistan to full blown war? Vishnu Som and Shiv Aroor are among the panellists.

Another highlight is the topic ‘Bofors, Bachchan and Beats- How a lone journalist brought down a government’, with the investigative journalist Chitra Subramaniam, who unearthed the widely discussed Bofors scam and fellow journalist and columnist Vasanthi Hariprakash among the panellists.

Likewise, the panel discussion features historical storytelling, journalism, wellness and modern writing.  New book releases, Mysuru contemporary authors corner and a book swap corner, are among the added attractions of the literature festival.

Member Kitty Mandana, Secretary Thankam Panakal, Vice-Chairman Sam Cherian Kumbukattu and Member C.R. Hanumanth were present.