The Literature Festival has seen multiple book launches, varied art exhibitions and Cultural Programs.

The third edition of the Bhopal Literature and Art (BLF) Festival will be held between 8-12th January this year. Instead of the multi-arts Bharat Bhawan overlooking the panoramic Bhopal lake this year it will be held virtually. This event has emerged as a knowledge event while buttressing the reputation of the historic city of Bhopal as a city known for its tahzeeb and artistic yearning. 

In the past two years the BLF has drawn top environmentalists such as Pradeep Krishen, Bittu Sahgal, Rajendra Singh, Mridula Ramesh, Raghu Chundawat, Erach Bharucha, Mahesh Rangarajan, Jairam Ramesh, Pranay Lal and Vivek Menon amongst others; diplomat/civil servants Shiv Shankar Menon, Pradeep Baijal, Pavan Varma, TCA Raghavan, Rajiv Mehrishi, Amitabh Kant, Anthony de Sa, Rajni Sekhri Sibal and SY Quraishi; military, intelligence and diplomacy experts like General Ata Hasnain, General Mohinder Puri, Shiv Kunal Verma and AS Dulat apart from top authors of literary and contemporary fiction.

The Literature Festival has seen multiple book launches, varied art exhibitions and Cultural Programs. The key exhibitions have been on tribal art, centered around the works of the noted tribal artist Bhajju Shyam and rare wildlife photography of the Bedi Brothers.

This year, the virtual BLF will flag off with “Challenges to Environmental and Wildlife Conservation,” with environmentalist and Professor Reuven Yosef as the key speaker. Prof Yosef has been CEO of the International Birding and Research Center and has won several international awards including Swarovski Environment award (1998), Rolex Award (2000), Condé Nast Award for Ecotourism (2000), 2008 “Israel’s Visionary Award” from the President of Israel. 

In “The Incredible Civil Service Journey,” noted Civil Servants Deepak Gupta and BS Baswan will engage with civil servant author Kush Verma the author of A to Z of the Civil Services.      

In another session “Storytelling in Times of Crisis,” Museum Scholar and Art Historian Ina Ross will be in conversation with renowned artists spread across continents: Atul Bhalla, Amitesh Grover, Johanna Schlegel and Franziska Rattay about the stories that are told through their art.    

Kunal Basu the Oxford University Professor whose novels like the Japanese Wife have been converted to cinema will speak about his “Art of Storytelling,” to authors Atima Mankotia and Sumit Mullick. War biographer Vee Walker will speak from Scotland about her work Uncle Tom’s War. Historian and writer Manu Pillai will speak about his work to author Tino de Sa. Museum curator and historian Rima Hooja will be discussing conservation and heritage with Indian history experts and writers Giles Tillotson and John Zubryski. Award Winning Novelist, Annie Zaidi will be in conversation with Professor Nirmalya Samant about her writings and book: Bread, Cement and Cactus. 

Smart city and urban expert Sameer Sharma will discuss about “Urban Planning Myths and Imperatives,” with Hitesh Vaidya, the Director of the NIUP and Prof Sanjay Gupta of the SPA. 

In the session “Taming the Dragon,” security expert Sanjay Agarwal will be in conversation with War Historian, Shiv Kunal Verma about the threats from our neighbor China.

The Bhopal Literature Festival is a free event. There is no need for prior registration and anybody can attend any session by  merely clicking on the day link at bhopalliteraturefestival.com