Two-day ‘Lit Fest-2017’ kicks off in Ooty

Udhagamandalam: The second ‘Ooty Literary Festival-2017’ kick-started at the heritage building, The Nilgiri Library, here on Friday. A good number of curious readers as well authors flocked to the festival.
On the first day of the two-day fest, eminent writers such as Padma Shree Geetha Dharmarajan, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Jerry Pinto and Bama among other writers took part as speakers in different sessions.
With reviewing the writers’ books and their penning style, the sessions also saw exchange of ideas and views apart from criticism.
In an interaction with author Jerry Pinto and speaking about the journey of India, ‘seventy years later’, Gopalkrishna Gandhi said, “Stories that did not make headlines are to be discovered and told.”
Stating that success itself is a fake one, he said, “In the present scenario, minds in charge of minds (teachers) are the future of India.” He said, “Rather than books people influenced me more in my life.”
Authors Samhita Arni and Vithal Rajan shared their journeys in conversation with C V Ranganathan, former ambassador to China. Jerry Pinto elaborated his life in words in conversation with Tara Gandhi.
Stating that the fest is meant to celebrate books and the libraries which preserve books, Geetha Srinivasan, also president of The Nilgiri Library, told TOI, “It is truly a movable feast and also an earnest effort to make the books go to the younger generation.”