The Circle of Life – Sudha Murty with Vani Mahesh
As the name says, The Circle of Life is a session where Sudha Murty spoke about how the book is a “recreation for her.”
The first session to begin at the Open Cell for the day had all the elements …
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Long Live the Short Story – Ameena Hussein, Amita Basu, Aruna Nambiar with Jahnavi Barua
There is something comforting about watching a room full of people pause their lives for the sake of stories. The session titled Long Live Short Story, moderated by Jahnavi Barua, brought together three writers who approach the form in entirely …
Just Like a Woman – Anita Nair, Gayathri Prabhu with Diaa Hadid
Some sessions feel like conversations, and some feel like quiet revelations. Just Like a Woman, moderated by Diaa Hadid, began with a laugh when she said, “Do not worry, we are not talking about polyamory today,” and from that …
Sleuth and the City – Harini Nagendra, Rudraneil Sengupta, Tanuj Solanki with Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew
“Sleuth and the City” on Day 1 of the Bangalore Literature Festival 2025 brought crime fiction’s sharpest minds together for a conversation that moved far beyond murder, mystery, and deduction. Harini Nagendra, Rudraneil Sengupta, and Tanuj Solanki shared the stage …
Indian Food from A to Z – Archana Sreenivasan
The second day of the festival opened with a warm and lively session led by author and illustrator Archana Sreenivasan, who brought her picture book Indian Food from A to Z (India on a Plate) to life for a …
The Magic Of The Lost Earrings: Stories from Sudha Murthy with Your Favourite Storytellers – Meera Venkatesan, Shylaja Sampath
The session Children, Literature, Fun brought the warm storytelling world of Sudha Murthy to the festival stage. Meera Venkatesan opened with the familiar invitation that many children love: “I will tell you a story narrated by Sudha Murthy. Are there …
ಹೊಸ ಆರಂಭಗಳ ನಗರ: Unboxing Bengaluru – Malini Goyal and Prathibha Nandakumar
“It is an eerie feeling to be here,” said Prathibha as she started the conversation on a reflective note. The last time she had been to Freedom Park, she came to meet convicts in the jail, do a documentary, and …
Killers on the Loose – Clare Mackintosh with Rudraneil Sengupta
This highly engaging session opened with Rudraneil warmly welcoming Clare, who responded by saying ‘Dhanyavaad’ (‘Thank you’ in Hindi).
Rudraneil expressed a tinge of jealousy while reading her profile, since he had taken a lot of time to connect with …
What do Men Fear?: Peeping into the Male Mind – Dilip Pattubala, Kartikeyan V, Sonora Jha with Rohini Nilekani
Rohini Nilenkani opened the session by setting a context on the state of men in India and globally. She mentioned that 90% of inmates in Indian jails are men, with approximately 70% not even under trial. She stated that young …
The Shape of Us – Ghazala Wahab, Santosh Desai, Shefalee Vasudev with Manish Sabharwal
Manish Sabharwal opened the session titled “The Shape of Us as a Nation,” introducing a panel featuring Santosh Desai, Gazala Wahab, and Shefalee Vasudev. The panellist’s offered distinct perspectives on the nation’s character and evolution.
Defining the Nation’s Shape
Santosh …
The 6-7 Guide to Life – Shoba Narayan, Sujata Kelkar Shetty with Sanjana Ramachandran
It was a cool noon at the Watchtower – the perfect setting for a vibrant conversation on truly ‘living’. The session started with a poser from Sanjana – Why should we live long?
Sujata spoke about resilience, being engaged with …
I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This – Clare Mackintosh with Shobhaa De
It was a Sunday morning, Day 2 of the 14th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival. Clare expressed joy being in the Bangalore air, amidst the Bangalore people.
The conversation was to be a focus on Clare’s book about navigating …
Not All Who Wander are Lost: Writing Identities – Kazim Ali, Rani Neutill, Thammika Songkaeo with Chaitanya Srivastava
The session, “Not All Who Wander Are Lost: Exploring Identities,” featured a candid discussion with authors Kazim Ali, Rani Neutill, and Thammika Sangkeo moderated by Chaitanya Srivastava. The panellists openly explored their personal journeys and experiences concerning the shifting emotional, …
Colouring Outside the Lines – Shefalee Vasudev, Danish Husain with Sadhana Rao
Sadhana Rao initiated the panel, stating that arts and creativity are not defined by a set flow but find their motive in the act of flowing itself, unbound by discipline or stridency. This panel consisting of two distinct voices from …
Why I Killed My Husband – Anita Nair with K Sridhar
So, she killed him
Imagine walking into a literary session thinking it’s just another author talk, and then ten minutes in you’re already questioning politics, marriage, guilt, class, caste, gender, and life. That’s exactly what happened at the session on …
The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits – Vir Das with Anna MM Vetticad
News flash: Popular actor turned comedian turned actor flips the pages back in his debut book.
Originally a stand-up comic, Vir Das became a household name in India after his breakthrough role in the 2011 dark comedy film Delhi …
The Joy Luck Club: Of Mothers and Daughters – Aishwarya Jha, Krupa Ge, Sonali Prasad, Thammika Songkaeo with Karthik Venkatesh
The session brought together four authors whose recent works explore the layered, intimate and often complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. On the panel were Krupa Ge for her book Burns Boy, Thammika Songkaeo for Stamford Hospital, Aishwarya …
Little Story Makers: Turn Ideas Into Adventures – Meera Venkatesan
At the Little Storymakers session, Meera Venkatesan did what she does best. She turned a regular festival morning into a space full of imagination and laughter. Children gathered around her in a close circle, some sitting cross-legged, some standing on …
Empire of AI – Karen Hao with Samanth Subramanian
The closing day of the 14th Bangalore Literature Festival felt less like the end of a nerd’s weekend retreat and more like the next chapter of an R.F. Kuang story. Best-selling authors—both the fresh faces and the well-known figures from …
Drawn to a Story: The Art of Illustration – Miglė Anušauskaitė
As someone who campaigns for the inclusion of graphic novels in the literary scene, this event became one of those larger-than-life events. I had to get the front seats!
Full disclosure: Like many of the head-scratching, bespectacled, hooded nerds, I …