This week, the city's oldest literary festival will return with an exciting line-up of workshops, performances, and panel discussions. Follow our guidebook for the best finds from the three-day affair
NCPA, the main venue of the festival
There hasn't been a year without books that have forced us to ration our sleeping hours, or wake up in the middle of the night — your dream turning you into the protagonist of the book you were just reading. So, literary festivals become a medium of closure. Because, the opportunity to engage with authors you look up to opens up new avenues. And the Tata Literature Live! this week — the oldest literature festival in Mumbai, currently in its ninth edition — promises more interaction and greater accessibility.
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"We are strongly committed to improving the quality of lives of the communities we serve. The advancement of arts, literature and culture is an important facet of this commitment," says Harish Bhat, the brand custodian of the organisation.
The latest venue to be added to the festival is the two-in-one space that hosts the bookstore Title Waves, as well as St Paul's Institute of Communication Education (SPICE) in Bandra.
Anil Dharker
"Each year, our audiences and queues have been growing; and I have been especially glad to see more young people streaming in. We have also been sorry to see visitors turning away, disappointed, from houseful venues. Also, there won't be passes this year — visitors can register and enter," festival director Anil Dharker explains.
Log on to tatalitlive.in
Day 1: November 15
Hope and healing
Written and performed by Imogen Butler-Cole, who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Foreign Body is a 90-minute play themed around sexual assault told from the perspective of the survivor and the perpetrator. The event also includes a Q&A session, and features an original soundtrack.
At Experimental Theatre, NCPA.
Time 6 pm to 7.30 pm
Cultural currency
Join Dr Nader Fekri, James Crabtree, and Srinath Raghavan in a session chaired by Ashok Ferrey on the influence of soft power in the world today. Is culture the new currency? Find out.
At Little Theatre, NCPA.
Time 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm
More awards to be announced
Celebrate the best work of the year in fiction, non-fiction, business writing, and children's literature with a shortlist that includes writers Shashi Tharoor, Sheela Reddy, and Prayaag Akbar. The Sultan Padamsee Award for playwriting in English will also be presented at the ceremony.
On November 18, 6 pm to 7 pm
At Tata Theatre, NCPA.
Day 2: November 16
Profits or the planet?
We can all admit that we do very little thinking about the environment every day, such as the impact of monocultures. In this panel consisting of environmental activists Aruna Roy, Rishi Aggarwal, Bitu Sahgal and George Jose, engage in a discussion about the current state of plants and animals as a result of the profit-making approach.
At Godrej Theatre, NCPA.
Time 10.30 am to 11.30 am
Epic story
Bali is the physical retelling of an episode that highlights the unsung heroes of the Ramayana, written and directed by Nimmy Raphael. It also incorporates elements of Indian wrestling.
At Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
Time 9 pm to 10 pm
Script to success
A workshop by US-based investigative journalist and anthropologist Scott Carney will shed light on useful strategies to turn creativity into a business model by learning to write pitches that work.
At Sea View Room, NCPA.
Time 11 am to 1 pm
Day 3: November 17
Rules at work
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, a discussion featuring Harnidh Kaur, Kalki Koechlin, Molly Crabapple, Richa Kaul Padte, and Sunita Wazir will address sexual harassment at the workplace.
At Godrej Theatre, NCPA.
Time 10.30 am to 11.30 am
Literature AI-style
A discussion titled Imagination is an algorithm with Eran Hadas, Emma Byrne, Henry Eliot, and Deepanjana Pal will examine the possibility of the intersection between artificial intelligence and literature.
At Title Waves, Bandra West.
Time 10.30 am to 11.30 am
Living cities
Listen to authors Abodh Aras, Ravish Kumar, and Shobha Narayan on how their cities — Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru — inspire their work, in a session chaired by journalist Carol Andrade.
At SPICE, Bandra West.
Time 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm
Day 4: November 18
Writers to the best
Be part of an entertaining session with radio jockey Hrishikesh Kannan popularly known as HrishiKay, who will put noted authors like Sebastian Faulks to test. "If the writers are unable to answer, the question passes on to the audience. Last year, people didn't know the answer to when Humpty Dumpty made his first appearance, so we made the audience member sing the Humpty Dumpty song," Kannan tells us. (Hint: You'll have to ask Alice).
At Godrej Theatre, NCPA.
Time 1.30 pm to 2.30 pm
Musical tales
Watch Canadian artiste Anthony black perform a gripping tale titled One Discordant Violin based on a short story written by Yann Martel about war, literature, and music. He will be accompanied by violinist Jacques Mindreau throughout the performance.
At Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
Time 8 pm to 9 pm
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