Mysuru Literature Festival Kickstarts with Inaugural CeremonyMysuru Literature Festival Kickstarts with Inaugural Ceremony Mysore, July 7: Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, a descendant of the erstwhile royal family, inaugurated the two-day Mysuru Literature Festival on Saturday. Organized by the Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust (MLFCT), the event aims to foster a sense of community among readers, writers, and publishers. Speaking at the inauguration, Wadiyar emphasized the importance of the festival in connecting people and creating a network of support and collaboration within the literary fraternity. Renowned actor, director, and writer Ramesh Aravind, also present at the event, lauded the power of books as sources of inspiration, knowledge, and joy. He stressed the importance of crafting compelling narratives that captivate readers and establishing a connection with writers. “A great book keeps a reader hooked on every page,” said Aravind. “To become a good writer, you have to bring every sentence to life and produce something so profound that it gets published, marketed, and connects you with readers.” Shubha Sanjay Urs, founder and chairman of MLFCT, outlined the organization’s outreach programs aimed at engaging all sections of Mysuru city and surrounding villages. He highlighted the establishment of 31 book clubs, with members ranging from children to senior citizens, and activities reaching orphanages, slums, construction workers, and disabled individuals. The opening session featured a screening of “Sunflowers are the First Ones to Know,” a short film directed by Mysuru-based Chidananda S. Naik that won the First Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The festival also marked the launch of a newsletter, with copies presented to actor, director, and environmental activist Suresh Heblikar. Other dignitaries present at the inauguration included MLFCT Vice Chairman Sam Cherian, Joint Secretary CR Hanumanth, Secretary Thankam Panakal, and Board Member Suchita Sanjay. The Mysuru Literature Festival will continue for two days, featuring a range of events including author sessions, panel discussions, and workshops.
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, a member of the erstwhile royal family of Mysore, on Saturday inaugurated the two-day Mysuru Literature Festival, organised by Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust (MLFCT) and supported by Mysuru Book Clubs-2015, at a private hotel in the city.
On the occasion, she said, “The Mysuru Literature Festival connects people and develops a sense of community among readers, writers and publishers, creating a network of support and collaboration among them.”
Actor, director-writer Ramesh Aravind said, “A valuable book is an everlasting joy. It gives new insights and new meanings every time one reads the same book. Books are a source of my inspiration, knowledge, joy and humour.”
Ramesh, who has released a few books, added: “A great book keeps a reader hooked on every page with curiosity. To become a good writer, you have to bring every sentence to life and produce something so profound that it gets published, gets marketed and connects a writer with readers… For me, a book is a muse (as in Greek culture), an angel of inspiration… It is like the invisible river Saraswathi, within us, that changes the course and goals of life.”
Founder and Chairman of MLFCT and curator of the literature festival Shubha Sanjay Urs said, “Apart from creating a platform for the privileged, MLFCT and Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 are trying to reach out to all sections of Mysuru city and surrounding villages through our outreach programmes. The 31st book club was inaugurated last week. We have members from the age of five to 83. We have extended our book club activities to orphanages, slums, construction workers, disabled, children and senior citizens. We also go to government schools to read books and teach them English.”
Entrepreneur-author Aroon Raman launched the newsletter. Actor, director and environmental activist Suresh Heblikar received the first copy.
The opening session featured a screening of ‘Sunflowers are the First Ones to Know’, a short film directed by Mysuru-based Chidananda S. Naik, which won the First Prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
MLFCT Vice Chairman Sam Cherian, Joint Secretary CR Hanumanth, Secretary Thankam Panakal and Board Member Suchita Sanjay were present.
Published July 7, 2024, 12:12 AM IST
