Mumbai all set to be fully booked again

Power has been this year’s object of desire. We had our most game-changing general elections, which impacted politics and the economy as well as scrambled entrenched social hierarchies. But we know that power is double-edged, that it can be as much a fearsome weapon as a beneficial tool. Only the terminally naïve or fatally blinkered can deny that it can easily slip into its dark side.
The Times of India Litfest has always centred on a cuttingly relevant theme, so that of the fourth edition is Power As Hero And Villain. The dates are December 5-7, 2014, and the venue as always is Mehboob Studios, no stranger to the reel-life playing out of the two faces of this beast. Next weekend, in its magical indoor and outdoor spaces, some of the world’s best will discuss the dual avatars which underlie literature, and life itself.
Two specials have been introduced: The Power Breakfasts and Power Talks. The first ranges from whether Indians are power hungry to the next big thing in sports. The Talks at dusk feature Pico Iyer’s ‘The Power of Peace’, Dr Farokh Udwadia’s ‘The Power of Healing’ and Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘The Power of Being Someone Else’.
We are thrilled to present the Times Lifetime Achievement Award to Mumbai’s very own Rohinton Mistry. The dynamic Arianna Huffington will open the festival, speaking on the theme as well as her recent book ‘Thrive’. Other writers present include Neel Mukherjee, shortlisted for this year’s Booker Prize, Akhil Sharma, Aatish Taseer, Upamanyu Chatterjee, Will Dalrymple and Shantanu Moitra, who launches his memoirs with his ‘Parineeta’ gang.
Special workshops have been curated for children, while young adults can look forward to discussions on the world in 140 characters and the iconic ‘Fault In Our Stars’. As always, there’s the lighter side with humour, live music, and food. Just walk in, and make a long weekend of it.
(More on www.timeslitfest.com)