Chandigarh, Oct 15:
Indo-Pak relations need a fresh renewal to nourish the bonds of neighbourhood as much as to reignite the spirit of cultural and social affinity, said Rahul Singh, director of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival here today.
Talking to the media persons to deliver his curtain-raiser address for the 13th edition of the Litfest that takes off from Oct 18 in Kasauli, Rahul said there was an urgent need to revive people-to-people contact between the two Punjabs.
Recalling an epic novel, Train to Pakistan, that his father Khuswant Singh wrote, Rahul said the thaw between India and Pakistan can be broken by rebuilding cultural and social ties.
The 13th Edition of the Khushwant Singh Litfest takes off from Oct 18 to 20, 2024 to celebrate the ideas and values that celebrated writer, litterateur and journalist, Khushwant Singh, cherished.
This time the theme of the Litfest is 'Resilience and Renewal' which resonates deeply with the times we live in. The last few years, as we all know, have been a tribute to the enduring human spirit, its ability to adapt,overcome and flourish among challenges, said Rahul Singh.
The KSLF is basically a celebration of literature with a niche for Punjab and Punjabi ethos to pay tribute to the values and vision of accomplished writer Khushwant Singh.
As usual this year's Litfest also promises to have a remarkable gathering of literary minds, cultural voices, and thought leaders.
The galaxy of speakers taking part in the Litfest would include William Dalrymple, Imtiaz Ali,Arundhathi Subramaniam ( one of the finest poets writing in India today), L. Subramaniuam (God of Indian violin),Amitabh Kant, Anindya Roy, Devdutt Pattanai, and Manish Tiwari., MP.
Since this can only flourish with corporate assistance, Rahul expressed gratitude to the Vianaar group, which is into eco-friendly homes, much keeping in tune with the green fest, would be an integral part of the Litfest. It's an outstanding group that has excelled in redefining the eco friendly second home concept across the country.
He underlined that the corporate assistance was very integral to carry forward the flavour of art and literature in the society
Sheetal Chadha, Director (Sales), Vianaar group echoed the thematic similarities that the KSLF and the Vianaar group shares for eco-friendly commitment and child education.
Background
The Khushwant Singh literary festival (KSLF) began 13 years ago in the tiny hill station of Kasauli, where Khushwant Singh would articulate his ideas and vision in his villa here.
Khushwant Singh was the most widely read English columnist in India, with several of his newspaper columns syndicated across some twenty publications all over India, translated into 17 Indian languages, as well as a hundred and fifty books, fiction and non-fiction.
The Litfest has been a meeting of minds to celebrate the power of ideas that can transform our lives. And raise awareness for causes he believed in. Ranging from women’s roles in society to improving Indo-Pak ties and saving the environment.
The KSLF is a not-for-profit as earnings from the Festival are ploughed back into preservation of Kasauli and its environs, as well as education of the girl child.
The Khushwant Singh Litfest London began as a pop-up in 2018 when we were invited there by the Indian High Commission. Subsequently King's College invited us over to their campus in 2019 as Khushwant Singh was an alumnus there. Over the last couple of years SOAS has had us over.