NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, DEC 11
The eighth edition of the Gujarat Literature Festival (GLF) will be held at Gujarat University campus from December 18 to 22, said Shyam Parekh, Director and former resident editor of DNA, here on Tuesday.
The GLF is being held in Ahmedabad for the 6th time, it will have many firsts to its credit this time such as – Screenwriters Festival, BizLitFest-celebrating entrepreneurial spirit, ArtFest, uniquely curated Gujarati Food Festival etc.
Elaborating the GLF arrangements, Shyam Parekh said that it is expected that over 200 speakers, performers, authors and artists besides screen writers will adore the festival.
“Writing can be a lucrative career option only if it is financially rewarding. For starters, GLF has designed itself to be a commercially gainful event. We pay all our speakers. Dignity for creative people is at the heart of the festival,” Shyam Parekh added.
To a query on holding this festival in this digital age, Paras Jah, Programming Director and former Senior Broadcast Journalist (Multimedia) BBC Gujarati Service, said, “We organise this festival because we love reading and appreciate other forms of literature. We enjoy the journey of crafting this platform for young authors and readers to flourish. This is an opportunity for the young generation to interact with acclaimed Gujarati, Hindi and English writers as well as Bollywood, Marathi, Gujarati screenwriters to hone their skills. Digitilisation will never replace the real-time experience.”
Besides regular features, it is expected that over 30 film screen writers from Bollywood, including writer Bala are expected to take part.
Gujarati Sahitya Mahotsav – best of Gujarati literature and culture, Fountainhead – best of writing primarily English, Hindi and other Indian languages and Tabariya – a special sessions for schoolchildren from 4 years to 14 years, the organisers said.
A first of its kind, ISF is held in association with Screenwriters’ Association of India (SWA).
Story telling competition for students
Schools are encouraged to send their students and participate in the story-telling competition on December 22. Prior registration can be done online or by sending email to gujlitfest@gmail.com
Cartoonist, writer and water conservationist Abid Surti and renowned architect BV Doshi to deliver the keynote address for ArtFest
Former MD and CEO of Britannia Industries Sunil Alagh will be the keynote speaker for BizLit Fest.
SWA president Robin Bhatt and senior screenwriter Anjum Rajabali will deliver the keynote address at the Indian Screenwriters Festival.
Celebrated artist, Festival Director, Kala Ghoda Art Fest Brinda Chudasama Miller will be a panelist on Art meets Architecture session.
GLF is sponsored by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd (TCGL); Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC); Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCB) and Gujarat State Handloom & Handicraft Corporation (GSHHDC).
