The eagerly anticipated schedule for Pondy LitFest 2023 has been unveiled, promising an exciting lineup of events spanning three days. Set to take place from 15 September to 17 September 2023, at the elegant Hotel Atithi in Puducherry, this literary extravaganza is sure to captivate book enthusiasts and thinkers alike.
Finally, what everyone has been waiting for!
The #PLF2023 schedule is here, ladies and gentlemen.
Just to remind you once again, the festival takes place on 15th, 16th and 17th September at Hotel Atithi, Puducherry. It is free and open to all. See you there 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/BeLHhwwwCc
— Pondy Lit Fest (@PondyLitFest) August 30, 2023
Day 1 – September 15, 2023:
The festival kicks off at 4:30 PM with a grand inauguration ceremony, followed by the formal book launch of Anand Ranganathan‘s bestseller, “Hindus of Hindu Rashtra.” The occasion will be marked by a stimulating discussion with the author himself, joined by Vishnu Shankar Jain, Meenakshi Jain, and Ratan Sharda. Alo Pal will moderate this engaging discourse.
Day 1 will also witness the presentation of the prestigious SMaRT-Swarajya Awards.
Day 2 – 16 September 2023:
Day 2’s proceedings commence bright and early at 9:30 AM, with Vikram Sampath taking center stage to explore “Veer Savarkar and the Early Revolutionary Movement in India” in the festival’s first programme of the day.
The day’s agenda includes several captivating book launches and subsequent discussions:
- “This is Sanatan Dharma” by Gautam Chikermane, featuring Partho Sanyal as a contributing moderator.
- “Vedas Made Simple” by Pariksith Singh and Dushyanth Sreedhar, followed by an in-depth discussion.
- A thought-provoking lecture by Swapan Dasgupta.
Other enriching discussions of the day encompass diverse topics such as:
Indian Knowledge Systems and the Perpetuity of Civilization – Featuring Prafulla Kelkar (Contributing Moderator), Sandeep Balakrishna, Sampadananda Mishra
Godi Media – Supine, Constructively Critical or Pointlessly Combative? Featuring Abhijit Iyer Mitra (Contributing Moderator), Shehzad Poonawalla.
Civilizational Memory Validated: The Case for Mathura and Kashi featuring Vishnu Shankar Jain and Meenakshi Jain, moderated by Alo Pal
Resurgent Indic Narratives featuring Arun Krishnan, Shivakumar GK, Abhinav Agarwal (Contributing Moderator)
Chandrayaan and Beyond: India’s Space Race featuring Aloke Kumar and Gautam Desiraju
India’s Neighbours: Pakistan, China and the Seas featuring Srikant Kesnur, Anil Chopra and moderated by Shiv Aroor
Domestic Politics and Strategic Autonomy featuring Rahul Shivshankar, Rashmi Samant, Ashok Chowgule and moderated by Ratan Sharda.
Day 3 – 17 September 2023:
The final day of Pondy LitFest 2023 promises an equally riveting lineup, including:
- A compelling speech on “India’s Strategic Autonomy and Air Power” by Air Marshal Anil Chopra.
- An exploration of “Revisiting Ganga-Jamni Tehzeeb” by historian Meenakshi Jain.
Engaging discussions on Day 3 include:
- History, Narratives and Research featuring Disha Ahluwalia, Prasenjit Basu, Vijayalakshmi Vijaykumar, Vikram Sampath, and Nandini Sengupta (Contributing Moderator)
- Breaking News Into Pieces: What Ails The Media – featuring Shiv Aroor, Rahul Shivshankar, Monika Halder, Abhijit Majumder, moderated by Deep Halder.
- India’s Soft Power featuring Lalitha Kumaramangalam, Swapan Dasgupta and Abhijit Iyer Mitra (contributing moderator)
- India’s Neighbours: Looking East featuring Sandeep Unnithan, Deep Halder, Srikant Kesnur and Abhijit Iyer Mitra (Contributing Moderator)
- Is India Witnessing Amrit Kaal? Featuring Gautam Desiraju, Prasenjit Basu, Ashok Chowgule, and Monika Halan (Contributing moderator)
- Tackling Neglected Diseases- Indian Healthcare Breakthroughs featuring Anand Ranganathan and Shailja Singh
- 26/11: 15 Years On – featuring Sandeep Unnithan and Shiv Aroor
- Is the Indian State Designed To Fulfill Our Strategic Goals -featuring Prafulla Kelkar, Abhijit Iyer Mitra, Abhijit Majumder, and Anand Ranganathan (Contributing Moderator)
The festival will also see the book launch of “The Never Dying Fire” and a discussion featuring Devdip Ganguli and Rakhal Venet on 17 September 2023.
Pondy LitFest 2023 promises to be a stimulating and thought-provoking event, bringing together a diverse array of voices and ideas in the beautiful setting of Puducherry. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to engage with some of the brightest minds of our time.
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