Kumaon Literary Festival: Day 5

Noted authors, actors, and literature enthusiasts from the metros as well as the hills came together for the Times Of India’s Kumaon Literary Festival, which was recently organized in Dhanachuli.
Over the combination of chai and the pahadi feel, conversations about gender, regional languages, and the perks of being in the hills went on uninterrupted.Actor and filmmaker Rajat Kapoor said, "Interacting with some of India’s eminent authors amidst the scenic beauty of Uttarakhand was a pleasure for me. The audience of Uttarakhand was quite receptive and I strongly felt that people here are very much inclined towards good literature."
Author Namita Gokhale, best known for Mountain Echoes – Reminiscences Of Kumaoni Women, said, "The less I get to visit Kumaon, the more I write about Kumaon. I have seen my ija (mother) working very hard. In the mountains, you will always find hardworking ladies. I have travelled across Uttarakhand, Himachal and the North East and have seen how women are strong and do all the work, be it inside the house or outside it." Namita added, "Pahadi women are the backbone of their families, and somewhere, we are leaving all these things behind because today, people are not interested in living here." Talks of pyaar-mohabbat between India and Pakistan was another highlight at the event. Addressing the audience, Asif Noorani, film and music reviewer, said, "Aapke mulk mein humein jo mohabbat mili, laga hi nahi kisi aur mulk mein aye hai."
To that, Harish Rawat said, "Humara hi nahin, aapka bhi mulk hai’. Ameena Saiyid, MD, Oxford University Press in Pakistan, added, "I have come to India many times but this is my first visit to Uttarakhand. This is a fascinating event and I would love to keep coming back here." The idea of talking about literature in the hills did attract office-goers from other cities, too. Mihir Vatsa, a Delhi-based poet who works in advertising, said, "I love Uttarakhand. I visit the state almost every year, because I prefer silence when I am in the ‘writing mode’. I feel nothing is better than the pahads – you find time to eat together, that too in a perfect natural backdrop. When I told my boss that I will be going to Dhanachuli for this festival, he was like, ‘Okay, but you will have to keep working from there’. I was so excited about coming here that I immediately said yes to that."
Vikram Mittal, another attendee, added, "When we were in school, our teachers used to say ‘Such a sunny day, isn’t it?’ In the metros, summers mean torture. But the hills show you that summers can be about happiness too. In places like Doon, you go to the terrace, you see the skyline, and it’s so beautiful that you feel like you can fly.” Pragnya Mathur, a singer from Delhi, sang Bumbro-Bumbro’s (from Mission Kashmir) Kashmiri version.