Programme

English — often considered as the most widely spoken language in the world — is full of wonder, wit, and anomalies. Politician, writer, and wordsmith Shashi Tharoor and Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, in conversation with Shrabani Basu, take us on a journey through the curious wonderland of English, unpacking the puzzles of punctuation, the quirks of spelling and grammar, and the layered history of Indian  English. With over 130 million speakers, India ranks as the second-largest English-speaking nation, where the language was not only adopted, but got a new voice.

In his recent book, Our Living Constitution, politician and celebrated author Shashi Tharoor offers a masterful analysis of India’s constitutional framework, highlighting how it transcends political rhetoric to reflect the nation’s core ideals. He is joined by Mukulika Banerjee—academic, podcaster, and author of Why India Votes—and Chintan Chandrachud, barrister and author of Balanced Constitutionalism and The Cases that India Forgot. They explore the evolving nature of rights, social justice, and the challenges facing democracies in the 21st century.

Who inspired Europe's great medieval churches? In this session, Diana Darke uncovers the hidden Islamic influences behind iconic Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Drawing from Islamesque in Stealing from the Saracens, she challenges Eurocentric myths, revealing how Muslim craftsmen and design principles helped shape structures from Mont Saint-Michel to Westminster—reorienting our understanding of Europe’s most celebrated architectural heritage.

After a devastating fall in Rome, Hanif Kureishi was left immobile. From his hospital bed, he began to dictate powerful reflections on illness, identity, love, and writing. Shattered is the result: An odyssey of survival which presents an intimate chronicle of transformation. In conversation with Monisha Rajesh, Kureishi takes us on an unexpected journey of healing through language.

Amid Afghanistan’s political turbulence, stories of resilience and determination emerge. Lucy Hannah, Director of Untold Narratives, examines My Dear Kabul, showcasing the Afghan Women Writers' Collective’s WhatsApp diary—a testament to ​assertion, solidarity, and the fight for a voice during Kabul’s collapse, and a courageous collection of messages about life unravelling under Taliban rule- along with Batool Haidari, an Afghan writer, activist and a member of  Paranda, a network of women writers in Afghanistan and the diaspora run by Untold Narratives. Haidari is a contributing writer to the anthology, My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird, New Fiction by Afghan Women, Rising After the Fall,  My Dear Kabul: A Year in the Life of an Afghan Women’s Writing Group. Saad Mohseni, author of Radio Free Afghanistan, discusses how independent media navigated the country’s transformation. Together, they take us through individual narratives of resilience and defiance, which act as ways to document and share records of struggle. 

From borders drawn with blood, to names that carry the weight of history, migration is beyond mere movement—it is memory, identity, and survival. Journalist, academic, and storyteller, Sheela Banerjee has spent her career uncovering the intimate and often untold histories of people–through her work at the BBC and Channel 4 and in her writing. Her new book, What’s in a Name?, is a deeply personal and historical exploration of identity and migration through the names we bear. Somnath Batabyal, author of The Price You Pay, teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies. The journalist’s most recent book, Red River, is a journey through the turbulent tides of youth in Assam, where friendship and love collide on paths that lead from Guwahati to Dhaka, Bhutan, and London. The book pulses with the militant heartbeat of a generation. Pragya Tiwari is a writer and a culture and policy consultant, Creative Director of Oijo Media and co-founder of the Indian History Collective. Together with Batabyal and Banerjee, she discusses how personal and collective histories are shaped by movement, memory, and the search for belonging.

Winner of the International Booker Prize 2025, Heart Lamp by veteran Kannada writer and activist Banu Mushtaq has been translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. Blending biting wit with deep empathy, the collection of 12 stories presents the intimate struggles and quiet rebellions of Muslim women in Southern India. In conversation with Lucy Popescu, they discuss this rich narrative, which provides a powerful glimpse into lives shaped by tradition and resistance.

Librarians, museumologists, and archivists are stewards of memory and curators of collective identity- preserving history through objects and ideas. In a world shaped by war, pandemics, and shifting economies, they remain vital spaces for cultural dialogue and learning. Rebecca Lawrence and Nusrat Ahmed join Sanjoy K. Roy in a powerful conversation on how cultural institutions curate knowledge, inspire civic dialogue, and guide the narratives that define our present and future.

Trailblazing chef, restaurateur, and storyteller, Asma Khan is one of the UK and India’s brightest culinary stars. Founder of London’s famed Darjeeling Express, she is a best-selling author, UN World Food Programme Chef Advocate, and the first British chef to be profiled on the Netflix show Chef’s Table. With a passion for food as a force for change, she brings her rich culinary heritage and powerful voice to the table. A feast for the senses, Monsoon, is more than a cookbook; it takes you on a vibrant journey through India’s six seasons of flavour. The award-winning chef shares 80 irresistible recipes—rooted in tradition, bursting with spice, and designed to nourish both body and soul. From street food delights to comfort-curries, this book is a celebration of the stories, techniques, and spices that bring Indian cuisine to life.

As UK-India relations deepen through trade, diplomacy, and education, a distinguished panel explores the transformative role of collaborative research and integrated teaching within a value-driven educational framework. Joan Concannon, Sanam Arora, Heather Niven and Sanjoy K. Roy in conversation with Rajini Vaidyanathan examine how cross-cultural educational models foster mutual growth, align with national and international priorities, and prepare students to thrive in a globally connected future.

Paro disrupted dominant narratives of womanhood alongside Bollywood icons Zeenat Aman and Shabana Azmi, reframing the gaze on the female body. Author, publisher, and festival director Namita Gokhale revisits her subversive debut that continues to provoke and illuminate across four decades. Acclaimed writer, translator, and screenwriter Anu Singh Choudhary discusses the evolving focus on women-centric narratives in Indian cinema. From the TV series Aarya to the film adaptation Mrs., her storytelling persistently interrogates gender and agency. In conversation with Georgina Godwin, broadcast journalist and founding member of Zimbabwe’s first independent radio station, they explore how their work continues to recast expectations of women and how certain frames require constant refocusing in India.

Editor, writer, curator, Malvika Singh's Cooking for My Firefly, and Saris of Memory, both weave together the incredible story of her life. With the former discovering the growth in nutrition and variety in food as one progresses through life, the latter tells not only the rich history of fabric, but also the significance of saris within Singh’s own experiences.

Music plays a central role in many of our personal life stories, and is also a powerful representation of the different cultures that we live in. In this lively session, broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake, music artist and activist Reeta Loi and award-winning chef Asma Khan delve into the music and songs they grew up with and are inspired by even today. The session is moderated by Faisal Hussain of Trueform Projects, pioneers of the remarkable East in West Vinyl archive of rescued South Asian records.

BAFTA-winning playwright David Hare, celebrated as “the finest living British dramatist,” gives us a peek into his remarkable career that has redefined contemporary theatre. Renowned for iconic works such as Skylight, Plenty and Racing Demon, Hare’s plays explore the intricacies of politics, power, and human relationships with unflinching honesty and wit. His innovative storytelling, blending sharp dialogue with profound moral inquiry, has left an indelible mark on stage and screen. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Hare gives us insight into his creative process and the inspirations and moments that have shaped his career.

Gardens provide communities with space and vision and an intimate access to nature. Unearthed: The Power of Gardening, the British Library’s currently running exhibition, exhibits this power of gardening as a centre of culture, habitat, and community. Matt Reed, Global Director of the Aga Khan Foundation, speaks of how the Trust uses green spaces to create sustainable community gardens around the world. Sui Searle, founder of @decolonisethegarden, works towards reclaiming gardening as a decolonial act — the garden as a tool of resistance. Antonia Moon is the co-curator of the British Library’s summer exhibition Unearthed: the Power of Gardening and the Library’s Lead Curator of Post 1858 India Office Records. In conversation with journalist and broadcaster Datshiane Navanayagam, they explore how gardening can be a joyous impetus for social change, creating nurturing spaces, healing, and community renewal.

The uncontested space of the pulse of India’s popular culture, Bollywood, has now got competition. With other cinematic traditions gaining quick ground, Bollywood's dynamic contradictions, global imprint, and enduring charm are no longer in a league of their own anymore. Javed Akhtar, the adored cerebral poet-lyricist of the people, in conversation with author and pathbreaking screenwriter, Anu Singh Choudhary, decodes the zeitgeist that his iconic films have ignited. Spanning across genres like fantastic escapism and social reflection, he asks – Is Bollywood losing its artistic purpose and creative energy?

Historian and curator Sushma Jansari's latest book, Ancient India: Living Traditions, co-written with academic Sureshkumar Muthukumaran, takes us on a captivating journey back to the roots of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist art, uncovering how ancient history shapes living traditions today. Through a masterful exploration of statues, paintings, and manuscripts, they highlight the rich tapestry of multi-faith connections. In conversation with Festival Co-Director and author William Dalrymple, Jansari and Muthukumaran explore the vital role of preserving history and the enduring power of art across generations.

Nature has long offered poets a language for wonder, grief, protest and transformation. Five distinct poets — Seán Hewitt, Ruth Padel, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Mona Arshi and Dipanjali Roy — whose works are deeply entwined with nature’s rhythms, come together to reflect on its enduring pull. Seán Hewitt, a poet, memoirist, novelist, and literary critic, is celebrated for his meditative explorations of nature and the human condition. His latest poetry collection, Rapture’s Road, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He is joined by poet and writer Ruth Padel, known for weaving cultural history, science, and the wild into many award-winning works, and poet and novelist Karen McCarthy Woolf, a  Fulbright Scholar and recipient of an inaugural Laurel Prize  for ecological poetry for her poetry collection, Seasonal Disturbances. Woolf is co-editor with poet and former human rights lawyer, Mona Arshi, of Nature Matters, an anthology of nature poetry by Black and Asian writers. Joining them is award-winning poet Dipanjali Roy, who won the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize .  Together, they explore how poetry shapes — and is shaped by — the natural world, as a means to question, console, and reimagine the world we live in.

Celebrity writer and columnist Shobhaa De is unapologetically bold, fiercely candid, and never afraid to stir the pot. Her popular column, Politically Incorrect, and her bestseller novels like Socialite Evenings and the more recent Insatiable, have won her global acclaim. She has spent decades challenging conventions with her sharp wit and candid observations. Her upcoming book, The Sensualist, is a provocative look at passion, power, and the private lives of modern Indians. In an unfiltered conversation with Yasser Usman, De talks about writing, relationships, and the art of being unapologetically herself.

At a time when ​technology shapes the global order and data flows beneath the ocean’s surface​, what defines power?​ Weaving together writer and journalist ​Samanth Subramanian’s exploration of global information ​movement through uncharted waters with ​politician and writer Bruno Maçães’ theory of geopolitics​ and its role in world-building, this fascinating session explores  the ways in which technological development is at the centre of the battleground for global supremacy​.

As the world faces successive waves of disruption, systems, institutions, and alliances struggle for stability and equilibrium. Scientific knowledge and technology progress even as oligarchs and autocrats regress. Are we in a phase of de-globalisation or is this just a hiccup in world affairs? A panel of writers and thinkers try to decrypt and decipher what is going on in an increasingly fragmented world.

Peter Coveney and Roger Highfield’s inspiring book, Virtual You, provides an overview on how to build a virtual copy of a person in five steps. Together they take us on a journey of self-discovery, starting with the complexities of the human body, and how a digital version of ourselves can be created with data, supercomputers, and AI to usher in truly personal, predictive medicine.

Three writers trace the restless terrain of coming of age, capturing the beauty and ache of lives in transit. Seán Hewitt, a poet, memoirist, and literary critic, speaks about his outstanding debut novel, Open, Heaven, a celebration of youth, sensuality, and love in all its forms. Writer Devika Rege’s Quarterlife is a sweeping, polyphonic novel about the restlessness of youth, where ambition, class, and desire collide in turbulent India. Keshava Guha offers an acerbic and emotionally layered picture of Delhi in his recent book, The Tiger’s Share, where brilliant daughters and feckless sons grapple with inheritance, ambition, and a crumbling patriarchy. In conversation with Catharine Morris, the Associate Editor of The Times Literary Supplement, the session explores how their characters confront the delicate and tumultuous journey of youth, navigating the intersections of family, identity, and ambition.

Poet lyricist and screenwriter, Javed Akhtar is the most prominent and acclaimed exponent of the Urdu language. A beacon for poetry, activism, and intellectual thought, Javed Akhtar’s work as lyricist, and scriptwriter transcends generations. In conversation with lawyer, writer, and Urdu scholar Saif Mahmood, Akhtar reflects on the legacy of his poetic lineage and explores the many facets of his oeuvre, while tracing Urdu’s inextricable imprint on India’s multilingual literary landscape.

The legacy of the British Empire reshaped the modern world, leaving a trail of upheaval, resistance, and transformation. Jane Ohlmeyer and William Dalrymple explore how imperial domination fueled intellectual revolutions and political awakenings across both India and Ireland. Jane Ohlmeyer's recent book, Making Empire: Ireland, Imperialism, and the Early Modern World, examines how the colonisation of Ireland by the British was almost a practice run, a laboratory for the later, and much larger colonisation of India. Prominent historian and Festival co-director William Dalrymple's award-winning podcast, Empire, explores the power struggles and global politics of empires, and how they still impact our world today. Together, in conversation with co-director of the podcast Empire, and author of The Patient’s Assassin, Anita Anand, they uncover the political and intellectual movements that challenged colonial power.

Artist Jayasri Burman enchants with a visual language that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. She takes a lyrical turn with Tumi, Ma, a book of Bengali poetry where she traces life’s contradictions– love and longing, despair and hope– and musings on art with an invocation of nature. The written and unwritten intersect with over 100 inspired artworks. Arunava Sinha, acclaimed translator of You, Mother into English, is a prolific voice in classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, they explore the interplay of image and text, memory and imagination, and the journey of poetry across languages.

Ira Mukhoty’s latest work, The Lion and the Lily, masterfully narrates the rise and fall of Awadh during the turbulent eighteenth century, as it became one of the richest and most sought-after regions in India. Against a backdrop of British and French power struggles and rivalry with the later Mughals, she explores the lives of influential nawabs, diplomats, and adventurers—including Shuja-ud-Daula, Asaf-ud-Daula, powerful women like Bahu Begum and Compte de Modave. Drawing on Persian, English, and rare French sources, Mukhoty unveils a richly detailed account of an era defined by cultural brilliance and political intrigue. She is introduced by art historian and curator Malini Roy.

Historian, author, and filmmaker Sam Dalrymple delves into his acclaimed debut, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, a sweeping narrative of how the once-unified Indian Empire splintered into twelve modern nations. Drawing on rare archives, untranslated memoirs, and interviews across multiple languages, Dalrymple excavates five key partitions that reshaped the political, cultural, and emotional geography of the region. From boardroom deals and battlefield lines to personal stories of loss, resistance, and reinvention, the session reflects on how borders are drawn and the human cost they carry.

A diverse panel discusses the roles of individuals, corporations, and governments in aligning policies and practices with the protection of natural laws and environmental challenges. They explore how businesses can drive environmental change—by going green, cutting emissions, and rethinking priorities—and examine what’s needed to close the gap between economic growth and ecological responsibility. Ruth Padel is a British poet, novelist, and non-fiction writer, known for weaving cultural history, science, and the wild into award-winning works. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Zoological Society of London, she has published thirteen poetry collections, including Darwin: A Life in Poems, a verse biography of her great-great-grandfather. Ravi Bhatnagar is Director - Corporate Communications and Corporate Affairs, South Asia, MENARP and Africa, Reckitt, with extensive experience leading public policy and public affairs. Prerna Singh Bindra is a wildlife conservationist and writer whose works include the critically acclaimed The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis and best-selling book for children When I grow up I want to be a Tiger.

Writer and academic Sheela Banerjee’s recent book, What’s in a Name?, uncovers the rich histories hidden within names—stories of migration, colonialism, and identity. Through personal reflections and the diverse experiences of her friends, Banerjee,  and academic, poet and author Michael Rosen, paint a vivid, multicultural portrait of Britain, blending heartbreak, wit, and insight to present a social history of a kaleidoscopic society. They are in conversation with author and professor Somnath Batabyal.

Identity and materiality define an individual and shape their sense of self. Brave New Novels, brings two debut novelists, Reeta Chakrabarti and Yasmin Zaher, who present their new work and their contexts. Chakrabarti, an accomplished British journalist and correspondent at BBC News, brings to us her richly told debut, Finding Belle, of mothers daughters and family secrets. Zaher, a palestinian journalist and writer born in Jerusalem, introduces her debut novel, The Coin, which captures the loneliness of contemporary life and the displacement of human feelings.

In his book Gods, Guns and Missionaries, Manu S. Pillai explores four centuries of fascinating encounters between European missionaries and Hindu traditions of a  colonised India. In a tale of conflict and understanding, and of bewilderment and innovation, featuring a cast of characters from maharajahs to evangelicals, Pillai reveals how these interactions shaped cultural and religious identities, both in Britain and in the Indian subcontinent.

​Celebrated writer and historian William Dalrymple unveils The Golden Road, exploring India's pivotal role as the heart of ancient Eurasia. Traversing through Indian art, ideas, and innovations, Dalrymple takes us on a journey through ancient times and describes how Indian ideas helped form the world as we know it today.​

‘Noir’ tends to evoke the imagery of sleazy, dim alleyways and striking characters with moral indifference. At this session that spotlights crime novels and psychological thrillers, we dive into the minds of those who craft noir. Vaseem Khan is the current Chair of the UK Crime Writers Association and author of two award winning crime series. His upcoming psychological thriller, The Girl in Cell A, is set in a small-town America, where a woman wrongly convicted of murder fights to uncover the truth behind her past. The multifaceted writer Ram Murali practises law and works with film and television development, production, and distribution. His debut novel, Death in the Air, offers a mesmeric mix of mystery, suspense, and social commentary through Ro Krishna, an American of Indian descent. Bee Rowlatt’s works span award-winning travelogues, bestselling books, and West End theatre. She crafts narratives that blend wit with social commentary, as seen in her sharp debut novel, One Woman Crime Wave, about a babysitter who unravels the carefully constructed world of middle-class privilege. In conversation with Yasser Usman, they discuss their distinct individual takes on noir and the art of crafting suspense.