Programme

From Bandit Queen to Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Shekhar Kapur's eclecticism is evident in his many splendorous oeuvres.  Vikas Swarup's debut brought us Slumdog Millionaire, ensuring his place in popular imagination as an acute observer of life, no matter what the medium. Celebrated screenwriter , producer and playwright Sarah Phelps has worked on EastEnders, adaptations of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None and The Witness for the Prosecution, and Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, among others. These luminaries are proof of how artistic sensibilities spill across boundaries to draw new pictures on the wide canvas of expression.  Join them in a freewheeling conversation about the many shapes of the craft of creativity.

Author and science journalist Roger Highfield's recent book, Stephen Hawking Genius at Work, is a behind-the-scenes tour of the inner sanctum of one of the world’s most prominent scientific thinkers. Weaving together seminal papers and items from his life, the collection seeks to explain his theories and give us a peek into the mind of one of the greatest minds in modern science. In conversation with author and competitive poker player Alex O'Brien,  Highfield and Astronomer Royal Lord Martin John Rees,  they celebrate the life of the best-known scientist of modern times. 

Arunava Sinha's landmark new anthology of Bengali Literature in English, The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories, gathers a century's worth of extraordinary stories both famous and some which were lost with time to present a glimpse into the Bengali imagination. The prose short story style evolved in Bengal with the arrival of the British and quickly adapted to the Bengali context, covering themes of war, famine, religious conflict,  the caste system and liberation. In conversation with academic Mohini Gupta, Sinha and celebrated writer Tahmima Anam, take a deep dive into a style of writing that crosses literary boundaries and geographical borders while stretching the possibilities of social realism, political fiction and intimate domestic tales.

Global economic systems are at a precipice of change. Factors such as climate change, War and strife, healthcare and worldwide political structures have deepened the cracks within economic frameworks across the world. An informed panel of experts come together to discuss the ethics of growth and human responsibility to both humankind and climate.

Silk, prized for its lightness, luminosity and beauty, is also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. Writer and broadcaster Aarathi Prasad’s Silk is a cultural and biological history from the origins and ancient routes of silk to the story of the biologists who learned the secrets of silk-producing animals, from the moths of China, Indonesia and India to the spiders of South America and Madagascar and the molluscs of the Mediterranean. She will be in conversation with Festival Co-Director, historian and author William Dalrymple.

2024 is a year of elections around the world, with record numbers of first time voters and almost half the global population casting their votes.  Yet each nation has its own shifting concept of what the democratic process entails. A distinguished panel scrutinises the civic attitudes and constitutional safeguards that ensure true democracy. 

The British sense of humour has been the subject of bemused scrutiny by the elite classes of its former colonies . What makes them smile, what makes them laugh, what makes them tick? What happened to the stiff upper lip? An eminent Indian comic dons the mantle of a Westernised Oriental Gentleman, a WOG, to interrogate what makes the British British.

Museums form the cornerstone of civilisations across time and the world at large. In conversation with Sanjoy K Roy, an expert panel discusses repatriation, the challenges museums face in funding and the colour of money, the need for them to be interactive, and the continued importance of preserving and exploring our collective cultural heritage in times of war, pandemics, and economic crises.

The rich diversity of the Indian nation and its bewildering contradictions illuminate a fascinating session that presents multiple perspectives and ideas of India.

As the East India Company extended its sway across India in the late eighteenth century, many remarkable artworks were commissioned by Company officials from Indian painters who had previously worked for the Mughals. Writer, historian, and Festival Co-director William Dalrymple celebrates the work of a series of extraordinary Indian artists, each with their own style, tastes, and agency, all of whom worked for British patrons between the 1770s and the bloody end of the Mughal rule in 1857. These hybrid paintings explore both the beauty of the Indian natural world and the social realities of the time in masterpieces of astonishing brilliance and originality. The session will be introduced by Malini Roy.

Namita Gokhale and Anuradha Sarma Pujari talk about the invisible inhibitions and taboos on women’s social, sexual, and professional identities and how it impacted their breakthrough novels and writing trajectories. In conversation with Shrabani Basu, they discuss their literary influences and the echoing voices of the subversive women writers in the subcontinent. Writer and Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale's debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, has just been issued as a Penguin Modern Classic. She is the author of 23 books. Journalist and author Anuradha Sarma Pujari serves as the Editor of the prestigious Assamese weekly Sadin and a prominent Assamese literary magazine, Satsori. She is the author of My Poems Are Not for Your Ad Campaign and has written 12 novels and 6 short stories beyond this. 

Spanning across 50 years of Indian cinema, a charismatic panel pays tribute to the industry that has brought people together across national, international, linguistic and cultural lines. Writer Sunny Singh's book, A Bollywood State of Mind, is a personal and intellectual account of why Bollywood means so much to people across the globe. Director and author Nasreen Munni Kabir has authored 20 books on Hindi cinema and made over 100 TV programmes for Channel 4, including Lata in Her Own Voice and The Inner/Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan.  Author, biographer, and television presenter Yasser Usman is the author of the critically acclaimed book Guru Dutt: An Unfinished Story. Prior to this, he authored a bestselling trilogy exploring different decades of Bollywood through the biographies of superstars. Together, they discuss the ways in which the film industry has been an enduring and beloved cultural ambassador for the Indian nation and the secrets of its boundless and perennial appeal.

Historian and archaeologist Josephine Quinn's recent work, How the World Made the West, is an expansive history of the origins of the West spanning 4000 years. Questioning the idea of ‘civilisations’ within history, Quinn presents an intriguing idea of how it was contact and connections, rather than distinct and isolated civilisations, that drove historical change.  In conversation with historian and Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple, Quinn calls for a reassessment of the idea of the ‘West’ and takes a deep dive into a shared history lost in time.

Historian and writer Katherine Schofield's recent book, Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India, weaves through the lives of nine musicians to provide a new history of music, musicians, and their audiences during the period in which North Indian classical music coalesced in its modern form. Academic Richard David Williams’ recent book The Scattered Court: Hindustani Music in Colonial Bengal presents a new history of how Hindustani court music responded to the political transitions of the nineteenth century. Literary critic, and translator Saif Mahmood is the author of Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City And Her Greatest Poets. Together Williams and Schofield take us on a magical journey into the heart of Hindustani music, illustrated with evocative vignettes and snatches of poetry and lyrics by Saif Mahmood.

The multipolar flashpoints and tragic outcomes of a world at war with itself threaten the planet and the entire human race. An intense conversation around the causes and consequences of shortsighted greed, hatred, and territorial imperatives with journalist and author Gideon Levy, war correspondent and writer Christina Lamb, writer and lawyer Selma Dabbagh, former diplomat and writer Vikas Swarup and Journalist Shashank Bengali.

Ruby Lal's recent work, Vagabond Princess: The Great Adventures of Gulbadan, is the first ever biography of Princess Gulbadan, the daughter of the founder of  the Mughal Empire, Emperor Babur. An intimperorate exploration of gender, power and loyalty, the narrative takes us through the life of a charismatic adventurer and the multicultural society she lived in. With her work, Lal breathes new life into an extraordinary Mughal figure, and establishes her unique place in a history that has long been dominated by men's actions and words.She will be in conversation with Festival Co-Director, historian and author William Dalrymple. 

Food is an intangible trigger of deeper memories, feelings, emotions, and the internal states of the mind and body. Taste buds have memories and the olfactory senses are invoked by writers in literature across the world.  To most of us, the food that we associate with home -- our national and familial homes-- is an essential part of our cultural heritage. Chef and entrepreneurs Karen Anand and Anand George and writer, translator and medical practitioner Tabinda Burney discuss the intersections of food, culture, and memory. They will be in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy.

While searching for solutions for a sustainable planet, it is imperative to explore innovative approaches that minimise environmental impact while maximising resource efficiency for both the present and future. Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Adviser on Oceans to the United Nations Global Compact, is the author of Seaweed Revolution, a book which attempts to understand how seaweed can be utilised to restore ecological balance in a world desperately striving to cope with a constantly growing population and its consequential climate and social impacts. Academic and writer Ian A Graham is the professor of Biochemical Genetics in the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products at the University of York.His work also explores the utilisation of bio-based materials as substitutes for petrochemicals to stabilise our future. In conversation with journalist and broadcaster Aarathi Prasad, they discuss how scientific research, industrial innovation, and new operational strategies can collaborate with governments and multilateral organisations to pave a new, balanced, and sustainable path ahead.

Three talented singers from the world of theatre: Ayesha Patel, Hassun Sharif and Melad Hamidi perform hit songs from Sondheim to Gershwin and showcase the multifaceted nature of their art form. Between them, they have appeared in globally renowned shows such as Hamilton, Les Misérables, Rumi: The Musical, Broken Wings and more. This trio of talent will perform songs; a treat for the ears, and an enriching hour of tunes to inspire you to book your next West End show. They will be in conversation with Hamza Jahanzeb.

Sathnam Sanghera's recent book, Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe, examines Britain's idea of its own imperial history as opposed to the world's experience of it. Weaving together wit, political insight and personal honesty, Sanghera explores the international legacies of the British empire – from the creation of tea plantations across the globe, and the connotations of royal tours. Traversing across the globe, Sanghera in conversation with writer Shrabani Basu, evaluates how deeply rooted imperialism is in today's world.

Critically acclaimed comic, internationally famed meme and a wonderfully nice gent, Nish Kumar speaks to celebrated podcaster Coco Khan about the week’s news and evaluates the recent trends in the political world.

The 2023 Booker Prize-winning novel, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch is an exhilarating, propulsive, and confrontational portrait of a society on the brink. It follows one woman’s attempts to save her family in a dystopic Ireland sliding into authoritarian rule, offering an unflinching account of the erosion of free will and liberty.  In conversation with journalist Claire Armitstead, Lynch examines the nuances of his writing and explores the story of a mother's fight to keep her family together.

The sources of fiction spring from multiple realities. Two writers examine the roots, inspirations and context of their recent novels.In conversation with writer and editor Elaine Canning.

Journalist Madhumita Murgia's recent book, Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI, explores the groundbreaking impact of technology on individuals, communities and our society at large. Writer and broadcaster Tom Chatfield's work, The Wise Animals: How Technology Has Made Us What We Are, evaluates the history of human interaction with technology and the evolving nature of this relationship. In conversation with author Anjana Menon, they discuss what it means to be human in an age of automated decision making.

Filmmaker, actor, TV presenter, and creative entrepreneur Shekhar Kapur is best known for films such as Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Bandit Queen, The Four Feathers, and What's Love Got to Do with It? He is also renowned for the iconic film, Mr. India, which has won or been nominated for numerous awards, including the Oscars, BAFTAs, and Filmfare Awards. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Kapur evaluates his journey in the film industry and discusses the nuances of creating a visual narrative.

Vikas Swarup’s debut novel, Q&A, made an explosive impact and became an international sensation with the Oscar-winning adaptation, Slumdog Millionaire. His latest novel, The Girl with the Seven Lives, chronicles a young girl's odyssey across India after being abducted by a masked gunman. In conversation with broadcaster Georgina Godwin, Swarup delves into the trajectory of his writing career, exploring the ideas and words that have shaped his craft.

Race, class, and gender provide a cross section into the dynamics of any society. An engaged panel examines the  framework of the British education system while looking into the complexities of racism which impact access to knowledge and shape the course of a child's future.

Death remains the most enduring truth of life. Nobel laureate and structural biologist Venki Ramakrishnan’s new book, Why We Die, examines the human fascination and fear of death. Spanning across the frontiers of biology and scientific research, Ramakrishnan questions mortality and the transformation that takes place within human physiology. In a riveting conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Ramakrishnan evaluates the cheat code of human existence.

In a scalpel-sharp session that dissects startling fiction and even stranger truths, three extraordinary novelists examine their recent novels through the lens of Victorian fiction and contemporary crime. 

After the massive global success of her award winning Hamnet, celebrated writer Maggie O'Farrell is back with a brilliant new novel, The Marriage Portrait, weaving across Renaissance Italy in an extraordinary portrait of a resilient young woman’s battle for her survival. Mixing together historic fact, portraiture and poetic fantasy, the narrative follows the journey of a young 16 year old Lucrezia, daughter of Cosimo de’ Medici, and the dangers and pressures she faced to provide an heir to solidify the future of the Ferranese dynasty. O’Farell is in conversation with Elaine Canning.

The lives of celebrated journalist Mishal Husain’s grandparents were forever changed in 1947, when the new nation-states of India and Pakistan were established. For years, she had a partial story, a patchwork of memories and anecdotes: hurried departures, lucky escapes from violence, and homes never seen again. Decades later, a fragment of an old sari led Husain on a journey through time, using letters, diaries, memoirs, and audio tapes to trace four lives shaped by the Raj, a world war, Independence, and Partition. Together with podcaster and writer Anita Anand, they discuss the remnants of empire, lost families, traditions, and shared histories.

Celebrated writer Elif Shafak's upcoming book, There are Rivers in the Sky, is an evocative narrative of one lost poem, two great rivers, and three remarkable lives – all connected by a single drop of water.  Hear Shafak talk about her latest dazzling feat of storytelling in a sweeping novel that spans centuries, continents and cultures, entwined by rivers, rains, and water drops: 

‘Water remembers. It is humans who forget.’

What does the face of power look like? 

What power did emperors actually have? 

Leading classicist and cultural commentator Mary Beard's recent book, Emperor of Rome  delves directly into the heart of Roman fantasies about what it meant to be Roman. By examining ancient imperial imagery, modern visual imagination, and little-known ancient texts, Beard explores the image and reality of Roman emperors, particularly the 'Twelve Caesars', from the ruthless Julius Caesar to the fly-torturing Domitian, in order to understand their ancient and modern significance. In conversation with writer Josephine Quinn, she discusses changing identities, the clueless or even deliberate misidentifications, and the challenges of modern assumptions about ancient imperial power.