Mumbai literature festival kicks off with Aparna Sen giving the keynote address

Bibliophiles and culture vultures of India’s commercial capital can rejoice as the fourth edition of the LIC Gateway Litfest, also known as the Mumbai literature festival, has kicked off on Thursday at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai’s Nariman Point.

Read more: Literature festivals in India that are worth travelling for
Popular as a festival that serves as a platform to celebrate the power and beauty of literature in all languages, the three-day festival this year has the theme of Women Power of Indian Literature. Just as the name of the theme suggests, this year the Mumbai literature festival will focus on the works of women writers in 20 different languages.

The keynote address of this festival was given this year by renowned actor and director, Aparna Sen, who emphasised on the importance of the “female gaze,” which has been best expressed in the works of women writers.

One of the biggest attractions among writers in this edition of the festival is the presence of Bengali writer, Baby Haldar, who became famous after writing her first-hand account of being a domestic help. She has also been awarded the title of Gateway LitFest Woman Writer of the Year Award. Some of the speakers to look forward to this year include women writers from diverse backgrounds, including Nalini Jameela, Temsula Ao, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, Rana Ayyub and Aswathy Sasikumar among others.