Being an avid reader and a big literature enthusiast, there was no way I was going to miss a Literature festival in my own city. And so when the city rich in heritage, culture and its own literature, when the land of Arundhati Roy and Hazrat Nizammudin Auliya welcomed its fourth Delhi Literature Festival, I, along with many other Delhites made their way to Delhi Haat on the 8th of January.
The thin crowd of people was both a surprise and disappointment. Surprise for it was visible that the people present there were genuinely interested in literature and belonged to the intellectual class. And disappointing for given it was a free fest and such amazing line up of speakers, I expected the venue packed. The major big disappointment of the day remained, however, that Arvind Kejriwal didn’t show up for the inauguration. He is expected to come tomorrow.
Before the sessions began, there was a live soulful performance by the band ‘Aanch’. It left the audience mesmerized and enthralled. And then began the sessions at 5, the first one being extremely enlightening for budding writers on how to get accomplished. Following this was an equally amazing inaugural session and the final session for the day on ‘Bare it all: Voyeurism and tell-alls’ comprising the author of the controversial book ‘Aarushi’ – Avirook Sen.
The overall vibe of Delhi Haat with its many cultures and colors is very artistic and literary. I even spotted a guy engrossed in a book here despite the lack of light. The mood of literature was omnipresent. I can’t wait to be a part of the literary spirit in the next two days. Hoping to see you there too!
Picture Credit : Kuldeep Pundhir, OneWorldNews
