Orange City Lit Fest culminates with blend of topical insights

Nagpur: The curtains were pulled down on the Orange City Literature Fest (OCLF) 2021 on Sunday as the three-day event culminated on a high for literary enthusiasts. A project by SGR Knowledge Foundation and supported by Raisoni Group, the event was held at Chitnavis Centre, Civil Lines, with some sessions conducted online owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 50 seminars by eminent panellists were lined up to mark the concluding day. The attendees were treated to a mix of insightful sessions on history, women empowerment, wildlife, celebrity culture and stardom, mental health, mythology, meditation and spirituality, and poetry writing among other themes.

Author Minni Vaid, in conversation with Harshali Singh, shared her thoughts on the prevailing mental health stigma in India. Vaid said we need to improve our attitude towards those who suffer from mental health issues and overcome the stigma associated with it. In a session titled ‘The oyster and the pearl’, author Nandini Murali discussed the tragic circumstances she found herself in following a suicide loss and emphasised the importance of suicide counselling.

Founder of Vedic math forum Gaurav Tekriwal addressed the session ‘The great Indian mathematicians’, where he commemorated 15 pioneers who placed Indian mathematics on the world map. Journalist Kaveree Bamzai, author Nandita Puri, Vaid and Singh interacted in a panel discussion where they shed light on the constantly changing scenario of women empowerment in India. Puri said that since India’s independence, the participation of women in society has increased immensely.

Actor and brand strategist Bharat Dabholkar, in his session titled ‘Be brief, be memorable and change the game’, spoke about his acting experience and his work with Amul branding, especially the famous Amul girl. He pointed out that the advertising milieu had changed from what it was previously.

Dabholkar added, “The product needs to be the central element of any commercial, and the most effective advertising is a simple advertisement.” Major general Rajpal Punia shared the difficulties his platoon faced in Operation Khukri during his seminar.

The fest received a tremendous response as it witnessed offline participation from nearly 3,000 book lovers across more than 100 segments, and featured over 160 speakers.

(Reporting by Manshika Vaikkath)