In the coastal city of Puducherry, the Pondy Lit Fest will return with its Fourth Edition on 15th September 2023. This year, the event focuses on the theme “India’s Strategic Autonomy”. The three-day event starting 15 September 2023 up to 17 September 2023 will witness discussions spanning various topics like technology, science, military, economics, and foreign policy and is bound to generate immense cogitation in the young minds. The Southern part of India has already made space for literary fests (Pondy Lit Fest, Western Ghats Lit Fest, Mangalore Lit Fest, etc.) that counter the propaganda from the lies peddled by historians, media outlets, and politicians. At a time when the counterbalance to intellectual discourse is slowly growing in India, such Lit Fests will undoubtedly bring all such debates to one stage.
Setting Expectations High
After a brief hiatus due to the pandemic, the organisers in the last edition retained the underlying theme “Bharat Shakti” in the spirit of Sri Aurobindo. The third edition also came at the confluence of India celebrating 75 years of her Independence and Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary. The event focused on paying respects to the sacrifices of countless heroes from South India in the struggle for independence. Along with it, the event celebrated our trajectory in diverse fields. With a focus on revisiting the past to aspire for a better future, sessions covered domains like Culture, Civilisation, Literature, Sanatana Dharma, Economy, Media, History, and Defence. The event also hosted various book launches that blended with the theme.
In the past, the organisers faced hurdles in conducting the fest due to intense pressure from certain sections. Despite the challenges, the fest has tried to bring out young minds from diverse fields. With riveting discussions between eminent politicians, scientists, and authors, the fest has surely developed its own signature.
What Can One Expect In This Edition Of The Pondy Lit Fest
In this year’s edition, Pondy Lit Fest promises to deliver a high-quality experience with presentations, lectures, book discussions, and panel discussions by India’s foremost thinkers. The Lit Fest aims to unite India by incorporating contributions from various strategic sectors and highlighting the ideas put forth by influential figures from these domains.
The audience can also witness the seventh edition of the Swarajya Awards which will be presented on the first day of the event. These awards are conferred for outstanding work in the spheres of economics, politics, society, and culture respectively.
The Motwani Jadeja Foundation’s flagship initiative, the Rajeev Circle Scholars Program, will also be introduced at Lit Fest. This initiative aimed to bring out highly researched and affordable books on Indian history by granting fellowships to eligible scholars.
Books from publishers like BluOne Ink and Garuda Publications will be launched formally during the event. The Lit Fest will also feature stalls from organisations and publishers in the Indic Space.
For more details on the schedule and the lineup of speakers and other events, check this post.
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