Times Litfest 4th edition travels beyond borders

Bengaluru: The power of a good story lies in its ability to reach out and touch lives, beyond tangible and intangible borders. The power of a good story, in that sense, is limitless. With ASEEM — Beyond Borders as its central theme, it is this universality of literature that the fourth edition of Times Litfest seeks to celebrate on February 3-4.

Created by The Times of India as part of its ongoing commitment to the written word and its support for literacy and literary endeavour, the literature festival has grown to become Bengaluru’s unique festival of ideas — one where eminent personalities from around the world come together for two days of thought-provoking debates and discussions. Equity and democracy run through the festival’s veins, placing some of the world’s greatest minds, humanitarians, historians, politicians, business leaders, sportspersons and entertainers on stage together. Unrestricted access to thinkers and writers is a powerful statement in a country where access to such individuals remains a privilege of a few.

Curated by Jayapriya Vasudevan, the fourth edition of Times Litfest promises to be an exciting one. The festival will see more than 100 authors from all over the world, including India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Korea, Palestine, Kenya, US, France, Singapore, taking part. Some of the celebrated ones include William Dalrymple, Ramachandra Guha, Perumal Murugan, Preti Taneja, Kiran Nagarkar, Chandrashekhara Kambara, Lakshmi Pamuntjak, Lauren Rosemary Hook and Rupi Kaur. Soha Ali Khan, Pooja Bhatt, Wendell Rodricks and Malini Agarwal, founder of Miss Malini, will add to the celebrity quotient.

Speaking on their association with the fest, Bala Malladi, CEO, ACT Fibernet, said, “The Times Litfest is one of the most prestigious literary events of Bengaluru, and it is our privilege to be chosen the presenting partner for the second time in a row. This year’s theme, ASEEM — Beyond Borders, aptly resonates with our brand ethos where we work to foster a culture of innovation and knowledge-based society that pushes the boundaries in order to empower our customer every day.”

The venue for the two-day festival is Jayamahal Palace. For details, visit timeslitfestbangalore.com