Western Ghats Lit Fest: Celebrating The Rich Heritage Of Bharat

The second edition of the Western Ghats Literary Festival was an outstanding success, bringing together literary enthusiasts, authors and scholars from all over the country.

With a diverse lineup of thought-provoking discussions, book launches, and interactive sessions, the festival, which was held in Coimbatore on 28 and 29 October 2023, provided a unique platform for intellectual exchange and cultural enrichment.

Attendees were treated to a rich tapestry of literature and storytelling, celebrating the rich literary heritage of Bharat.

The festival's resounding success is a testament to the power of literature to connect people and inspire creativity and Coimbatore’s intellectual climate.

Well curated by renowned writer, author and thinker Shefali Vaidya with the theme “Bharat Fast Forward”, the event featured 18 sessions comprising of panel discussions, feature presentations and keynote address.

The event also featured 11 book launches which is an amazing number of books to be launched in any event in the country in recent memory.

The event was well attended by over 1,000 people over two days and watched online through live stream on Prachyam, Samvada, Dinamalar and social media by a more than hundred thousand people over two days.

A special panel discussion on North East India — “Look North East” between Manoshi Sinha and Dr Ankita Dutta has already drawn much attention from one and all across the country for highlighting the cultural aspects of North Eastern India.

This is also a first for any literary festival for a region-specific panel.

The event was extremely well organised with attention to fine detail and every aspect of Bharatiya Sanskriti was given importance. Time keeping for a packed event of this sort was equally commendable. 

The organisers have scaled up the second edition of the Western Ghats Lit Fest with much passion an enthusiasm.

A lot seems to be in store in terms of events and themes that team Verandah Club is putting a lot of effort into which we will be seeing in the coming years.