Come January and quite unlike the last year(s) Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) won’t be held in an open space nor will there be any stalls. The 2021 edition of the annual Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF), which is scheduled to be held from January 22 to 24, will be completely virtual.

It’s that time of the year when nothing is normal. The last year appears to be a sepia print from an old library and as the whole world prepares to step into 2021 with bleak months tainting memories, a few to-be-held events offer a bit of light. 

There will not be any parallel sessions. Informs Prof T Vijay Kumar, one of the festival directors, “This year we will not have any featured theme or ‘language in focus’. The festival will be kickstarted on the evening of January 22. The next two days will have sessions from morning till evening.  

There is no substitute for a physical event, however tough times also make us look for new ideas and new venues.” Jnanpith and Padma Shri Award winner senior author Amitav Ghosh is one of the key delegates for HLF 2021. The Indian-American author-poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, too, will be part of the panels.  “Many writers we have invited are based in different countries so in a way an online event is more suitable for them because of the timezones,” adds Prof Kumar.

Other authors like Ira Mukhoty, Kishwar Desai. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Harsh Mander, Sanjay Jha, Megha Majumdar among several others. Devaki Jain, one of the earliest economists and feminists in the country will talk about her latest book ‘The Brass Notebook: A Memoir’ -- the forward of the book is written by celebrated economist Amartya Sen.

Another interesting author to look forward to is Parmesh Shahani for his book ‘Queeristan’ which on the rights of LGBTQ+ community. Kishwar Desai’s biography of the yesteryear Bollywood icon Devika Rani titled ‘The Longest Kiss’ may delight many.

There will be an art exhibition in association with the UoH art department which will involve the local artists. “There will be a poetry segment which is being curated by Sridala Swami. We will reveal the names shortly,” adds further Prof Kumar. The festival is also going to pay tribute to legendary singer the late SP Balasubramaniam. The music director Ramachary and radio anchor Jyotsna will be in charge of the segment.

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