বাংলায় পড়ুন
Literary festivals have boomed in India over the years to quench the appetite of the voracious readers.
For millions of bibliophiles in the country who protect their “reading time” as fiercely as a lioness protecting her cubs, the end of year brings out the lovers of books from their home to the festival streets.
Bookworms greet the winters and snuggly winter blankets along with hot cups of coffee or chocolate with open arms and these are essential companions for book lovers during the months of November to February.
Graphically, India is among the world's largest consumers of literature! With 9,000 publishers and over 21,000 retailers, the Indian book market is the 6th largest in the world. This brings us Indian bookworms a huge reason to be proud of ourselves.
All thanks goes to the ever increasing interest in promoting literature among all sections of society. If you are an unabashed book lover who is ready to pack their current book along with their favorite bookmark and go fest-hopping, here are the 5 book festivals for you...
- Gateway Lit Fest:
Where: Mumbai
Month: February
The Gateway Lit Fest attempts to put an end to regional languages being overlooked taking a backseat to English. Over and above English, Gateway Lit Fest has shortlisted seven regional languages to focus on – Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali.
- Jaipur Literature Festival:
Where: Diggi House, Shivaji Marg, C-Scheme, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Month: January
This is also known as the Kumbh of Literature. There are interesting sessions held around contemporary topics, with live musical performances. It's quite interesting that every year the number of attendees grow. It is the world’s largest free literary festival, attracting over 800,000 visitors.
- Tata Literature Live:
Where: NCPA Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai,
Month: First week of November
The Tata Literature Live has grown to become one of India’s finest festivals. This festival has over 130 speakers from 15 countries attending the four-day event. Live debates over notable issues can be witnessed here.
- Times Literary Carnival:
Where: Mehboob Studios, Hill Road, Bandra, Mumbai
Month: December
This is also known as the Times LitFest. It is a 3 days event, hosted by some of India’s best speakers and writers. You might just bump into Bollywood stars if you're lucky!
- Apeejay Kolkata Literature Festival:
Where: Held over various venues in Kolkata and at Oxford Book Store at Park Street, Kolkata.
Month: January
This is the first literature festival of Kolkata. The Apeejay Kolkata Literature Festival showcases Kolkata, alongside eminent speakers, journalists, musicians, and artists under one roof. This is a much awaited festival for book lovers. This year AKLF was hosted from 11th-14th January. The Main venue is St Paul’s Cathedral Lawns as well as at other heritage venues in Kolkata.
