Hyderabad: The city will be seeped in fun activities and insightful panel discussions, as the annual Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) is slated to be held from January 24 to 26 at the Sattva Knowledge City, Hitec City, for the third consecutive time.
The HLF describes itself as a celebration of literature, culture, art and conversations that transcends borders and generations, with a focus on a particular guest nation, highlighting linguistic diversity in India. It is free and open to anyone who wants to attend.
The 15th edition of HLF is expected to be filled with exciting activities, workshops, performances and interactive sessions with authors and speakers, along with a dedicated exhibition to honour the last recognised Nizam of Hyderabad, Mukarram Jah.
Fun activities to indulge at the Lit Fest
Like the previous years, the lit fest will have a canvas gallery, this time curated by artist Radha Yamini, to showcase fresh and new creativity by young creative folks of Hyderabad.
There will be a flea market with the city’s local businesses showcasing their stalls and a Documentary Booth, in collaboration with Project Non Fiction, which is a space entirely dedicated to screening thought-provoking documentaries.
There’s also a Reel Booth for those interested in creating trendy videos where the audience can also interact with dance group Team Nritya, while the “Manifest Your Route” will be a space to manifest dream travelogues.
In store is a playful corner, “Corner Jenga,” for friends, artists or even strangers to come together to create comic strip illustrations using Jenga blocks.
The HLF will also have a photobooth for the audience to click photos in “retro madness” and save memories of the day.
There will be an additional gallery called “Meme Mail,” designed with a “societal satire voice on the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community.”
People can also indulge in a dedicated zone for Zines, which are magazines not for commercial use and are homemade or online publications with unconventional subject matter. This zone allows the audience to make, read or purchase them.
Then there’s also a souvenir store, described as “a shop for the lil memories of life,” and a Kashmiri edition of hopscotch competition, where the audience is required to be a “pop-culture nerd” to win.
Stage performances and storyweavers
The HLF will be hosting the “Youngistaan Nukkad,” where people can showcase all art forms, from open mics to flash mobs and improv to jamming sessions. This segment of the lit fest will witness a host of colourful performances.
The Storyweavers segment will feature storytelling sessions by Hyderabad-based participants as well as speakers from across the country.
Climate conversations and science stalls
The Climate Conversations segment is curated by EkoGalaxy and is bringing big names from the field of climate and biodiversity to the festival.
EkoGalaxy is a platform for climate education which partners with schools in India and Europe, and represents the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership.
The festival will also feature STEM stalls, with institutes such as BITS Pilani–Hyderabad, IIT Hyderabad and the University of Hyderabad’s astronomy club participating.
Stage talks and exhibitions
Stage Talks will feature speakers like Namita Devidayal, Rekha Bhatnagar, Sumana Chandrashekar, Arshiya Sethi, Anuradha Naik and several other well-known authors.
The literary festival will also have several well-curated exhibitions, including one showcasing the history of Hyderabad, textile displays, a photography exhibition capturing dogs during the pandemic and other niche subjects.
A book event featuring Arunadha Naik in conversation with Prince Azmet Jah will be held on Saturday, January 24, during which a special exhibition commemorating the birth anniversary of the last recognised Nizam of Hyderabad will be discussed in detail.
You can register for the event here.
