In Pic:‘Old Geographies, New Orders’ a discussion between Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh and author Venkat Dhulipala
Ramchandra Guha launches his book ‘Democrats and Dissenters’ to a packed auditorium
Day 3 of Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest throws up spellbinding sessions and discussions
Several admirers and book enthusiasts were witnessed lining up at the NCPA to catch noted historian and biographer, Ramchandra Guha, launch his book ‘Democrats and Dissenters’. The launch was followed by an intriguing straight talk on politics and ideologies in India and other countries by Mr. Guha.
Known for his legendary wit and intelligence, Mr. Guha kept the audience in rapt attention as French historian, John Horne, joined him for the launch of his book. The session discussed his book that covers a wide range of themes that span from complex relationships between democracies and violence to archaic laws, imperfections in the legal system, the rise of identity politics and the dependence of the media on government and commercial advertising. Mr. Guha urged the audience to open a window in their minds to explore major political and cultural debates in India and the world.
In another session at the NCPA, ‘Framed by Words’, the Director of Jnanapravaha Mumbai (JPM) Rashmi Poddar, Managing Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and award-winning poet, Tishani Doshi, got together to discuss the relationship between art and literature. Chaired by cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote, the lively discussion saw the panelists share their love to portray art through different forms instead of just literature. Ms. Mehta put forward her point, saying “The relationship between art and text is symbiotic in nature. However, words could have limitation while expressing a thought, while dance and music can be abstract in nature.”
Prithvi Theatre saw a session, ‘Womanly Voices’, where audiences were engrossed in readings by a panel of acclaimed authors and poets such as Keki Daruwalla, Eleanor Hooker and Umi Sinha. A parallel session at the iconic venue, titled ‘Old Geographies, New Orders’, put forward an argumentative discussion between Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh and author Venkat Dhulipala. The session was chaired by Founder Editor of The Wire, Sidharth Bhatia and explored the cause of geographical bifurcations and basic factors such as religion and language which have dictated various partisan narratives throughout history.
NCPA also witnessed ‘A Feast of Vultures’, which was a discussion between Executive Director of Amnesty International Aakar Patel, award-winning investigative journalist Josy Joseph and author Rama Bijapurkar. Chaired by columnist Mihir Sharma, the panel discussed concerns that have come to plague India since the liberalisation policy in 1991. Important issues such as selective media coverage, self-sponsorship in news rooms, problems of accountability and how large media houses are in control of a powerful few were discussed. The session also discussed the death of long format stories and the fear that is a part and parcel of investigative journalism.
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