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Chetan Bhagat on being a bestseller: power, responsibility, pressure. |
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| Vikram Seth on The Rivered Earth and his other works. |
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| Pakistani author Moni Mohsin on her works like Tender Hooks and The Diary of a Social Butterfly. |
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| Italian author Valerio Manfredi of the Alexander series fame will deliver the Ashok Kumar Sarkar Memorial Lecture. |
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| The opening and closing sessions are on
Rabindranath Tagore. |
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| Imran Khan on cricket,
politics and Pakistan. |
Jaipur has raced far ahead — despite a learned bovine (a cow that happens to moo during strategic pauses in the sessions) and a livid Booker-winner (Salman Rushdie who got stumped by The Satanic Verses) — so it’s time for Calcutta to get started. And what better way to do that than bring together the writer and the reader at a fair that packs in over 1.5 million people? “I had been to the Book Fair while I was studying at IIM Calcutta. One has to jostle to get in! That can happen only in Calcutta, a book lover’s city. I am very glad that Calcutta is holding a literary meet at the Book Fair,” Shiva trilogy author Amish said from Jaipur.
With just two days to go, Metro takes you on a guided tour of the literary meet.
What
The first ever Calcutta Literary Meet, in association with The Telegraph. The meet will be held as part of the 36th International Calcutta Book Fair. Spread over more than 30 sessions, the six-day celebration of the word — written, spoken and sung — will pack in the cerebral and the celluloid, chick lit and Chandrabindoo, a celebrity chef and much food for thought.
When
The Lit Meet opens on January 26 and continues till January 31. The days of discussions will give way to evenings of music, dance, film and fun.
Where
The main venue is the Calcutta Literary Meet auditorium within the Book Fair ground at Milan Mela. Some sessions will be held at the UBI Auditorium, also within the fair ground. But the buzz is everywhere — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube…. Check out the Lit Meet anthem on the Internet (Kothara Janmabe), composed by Shantanu Moitra, penned by Chandrabindoo duo Anindya and Chandril and sung by Kaushiki Desikan and Monali Thakur. The song is accompanied by a beautiful video of hand shadowgraphy by Amar Sen and Sabyasachi Sen, highlighting the city’s love for books and some of its familiar sights. No wonder the video had over 2,000 hits on YouTube in the first 48 hours!
Who
While a very “suitable” Vikram Seth will talk about his work with Ruchir Joshi, perennial heartthrob Imran Khan will hold forth on cricket, politics and Pakistan. “I really wish I could stay for the Imran Khan session. Sadly, I can’t extend my stay,” rued Amish.
If Imran is sure to sparkle, expect explosions of mirth as Pakistani author MohammEd Hanif (A Case of Exploding Mangoes) dwells on humour in hard times.
In the popular genre, Chetan Bhagat will speak on the perks and pressures of writing bestsellers, Amish will discuss the fate of a book and Moni Mohsin (The Diary of a Social Butterfly) will talk about her work.
Marking the bicentenary of Charles Dickens and stitching together a tale of two cities — London and Calcutta — will be British writer Craig Taylor and Calcutta’s Amit Chaudhuri.
Italy is the theme country at this year’s Book Fair and one of the guests of honour is Valerio Manfredi, best known for his Alexander series. He will deliver the Ashok Kumar Sarkar Memorial Lecture.
There are big names past and present but as Kunal Basu — who is also participating at the Lit Meet — pointed out, Calcutta Book Fair is a people’s affair. “It’s not about writers and publishers striking deals, it’s about people going from stall to stall, just enjoying books.”
“So it will be at the Calcutta Literary Meet,” says Malabika Banerjee of Gameplan Sports, organisers of the debut meet. “There has been great response on our website (www.kolkatalitmeet.in),” she added. Entry is limited and most sessions are fast filling up. Enquiry for passes can be made at (033) 22821960/61.
Why
Because Calcutta already has the biggest book fair in this part of the world and a literary meet was the logical next step. As author Amit Chaudhuri pointed out: “While the Boi Mela is like none other in the world, we authors have felt that there should be a platform where we can do book readings and engage with readers. I hope the Calcutta Literary Meet will give the Book Fair that edge.”
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