97 speakers, 90 sessions light up 2nd Orange City Literature Fest virtually

Nagpur: After a thought pilgrimage spanning 20 hours,

97 speakers

and 90 sessions, the 2nd Orange City Literature Festival culminated lyrically on Sunday. With his mellifluous voice and stunning vocal range, Rajasthani folk singer Mame Khan brought the curtain down on a literal high note.

The third and final day of the festival broadened the spectrum of themes explored previously, with the likes of artificial intelligence (AI), old age, corporate life, sports and cinema joining the fray. Conversations were woven skilfully with the common threads of intrigue and topicality.

The day began with American author Diana R Chambers describing the ups and downs in the tumultuous romance of actress Nancy Valentine and the Maharaja of Cooch Behar (part of her book ‘The Star of India’), during her session on research and imagination in historical fiction. This was followed by storyteller Ramendra Kumar’s tips on creative writing for the 8-15 years age group.

Financial consultant Vishesh Jain spoke about what inspired him to translate Rajasthani folk stories into English, while Australian professor Toby Walsh peeked into the AI-packed future in store for the world, in their respective sessions.

Food history was a leitmotif in this edition of the festival. While author Kaumudi Marathe took viewers on a trip down the Indian culinary history lane, techie and author Krish Ashok explained why our grandmothers “were more scientific than chefs on the Internet”.

Author Nandini Sen Gupta’s session unveiled the role of animals in history, and management professional Sujeev Shakya revealed what triggered the idea for his book on Nepal’s journey between India and China.

On the cinema front, film director Kanchan Adhikari talked about the state of the Marathi industry post Covid-19, and author Kishwar Desai recounted the life and times of Devika Rani — who is widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema.

Writer Zainab Priya Dala shed light on what led to the South African diaspora becoming one of the largest populations of Indians outside India, and former Delhi police joint commissioner Karnal Singh talked at length on the genesis, evolution and causes of terrorism in India.

Polity discussions continued to be the mainstay on Day 3. Journalist Kingshuk Nag opined on China’s aspirations to dominate the world at the cost of India, and senior journalist Sagarika Ghose spoke about her biography of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, describing how the stateswoman wrote the playbook for Indian politics.

Fittingly, the art and science of conversation and dialogue were also dissected in the festival. While senior management consultant Arun Maira held fort on “leading, learning and listening”, policy analyst and researcher Vikram Sood discussed the ultimate goal and construction of narratives.