Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest 2025 Honors Founders, Features Diverse Voices

“Our focus is on different ideas that children's writers are writing about and how we can present them in different ways. For instance The Zakir Hussain Story is not just the book about a boy who became a tabla legend, but also how we are presenting it— with a reading of his story and the tabla being played by Fazal Qureshi, his brother. What is also interesting is that we get a young teenager to talk to an adult. This year a Norwegian author will speak to a teenager and our youngest festival author Anya Hannan, all of 14, will speak to an established author. The Doorbeen Library Tent sessions are unusual — for example a session on philately to help start off a stamp collection hobby. The Roots and Shoots programme initiated by Jane Goodall, who we were so lucky to have speak at our festival last year, is being continued and we are telling the children stories of the natural world through microscopes.”

“It is the 16th edition of the literary festival and we have a line-up of brilliant writers. To name a few, there's Nobel Laureate Venki Ramakrishnan and Booker Prize Winner Shehan Karunatilaka, both of whom will participate in the opening session that talks about truth, trust and testimony. We have new stars on the horizon like Omar Musa and Sam Dalrymple. Shobhaa De launches her new book The Sensual Self at the Festival. The Little Festival for children adds a delightful flavour to our celebrations. There is also a great debate lined up on a topic that's on everyone's minds: India and China Must Be Friends.”