Program

Booker Prize winning author Howard Jacobson illuminates the course of his life, the beginnings “as well as the twists and turns” that led to his becoming a writer in the candid and poignant memoir, Mother’s Boy: A Writer’s Beginnings. In an exploration of the idea of belonging, being both English and Jewish, through the growing pains of childhood, bittersweet memories and experiences as an adult, Jacobson allows a precious window into the mind, motivations and craft of a writer. He discusses the journey of understanding oneself and becoming “the writer you were meant to be” in conversation with poet and writer Tishani Doshi.

Charismatic actor Kabir Bedi's candid and moving memoir, Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Life of an Actor, is a compelling account of his turbulent professional and personal life. From the fascinating love story of his legendary parents to his own intense relationships and celebrated career in both Bollywood and Hollywood, he gives us a peek into his unique journey across mediums. Bedi's career includes roles in Sandokan, Ashanti, Thief of Baghdad, Khoon Bhari Maang, Octopussy and television shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful among others. In a compelling conversation with Sudha Sadhanand, Bedi talks about the stories behind the stories and the sources of his inspirations and beliefs.

Damon Galgut is a master of the knot, the stubborn rope which chafes and binds people to places, politics, prophets, the past. The Promise, the sharp and meditative and winner of the 2021 Booker Prize, conveys the play of power in relationships - with self, society, state - against the backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa. A white family, nettled by changing society, wrangles over a farm and a delayed promise. As South Africa churns with a violent past, turbulent politics, and the rumbles of change, Galgut weaves together the stories and struggles of relationships from both. Galgut;s other works include A Sinless Season, The Good Doctor, and Arctic Summer. In conversation with poet and writer Tishani Doshi, Galgut discusses his writing style, process, inspirations, and the essence of his latest work.

In a session replete with science, romance and mystery, Sharad Paul reveals the fascinating history of human skin and the changes it undertook every time the future of a species was at stake. This story peels away artificial divisions to lay open the genetic chains that bind races and species together. Dr. Paul is a medical practitioner, scientist, social entrepreneur and storyteller. His books include The Genetics of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health and Skin: A Biography.

The evergreen pop icon and playback singer Padma Shri Usha Uthup, singing in more than seventeen Indian and eight international languages, has enthralled listeners for generations. In conversation with Sanjoy K Roy, she talks of what music means to her, and the passion and commitment she brings to it. A fascinating sing-along recountal of a unique musical odyssey, with a legend of our times.

Indian film-maker, fashion designer, poet and artist Muzaffar Ali discusses the mystery and romance of his iconic period film Umrao Jaan with Sudha Sadhanand.

Accomplished Hindi novelist Geetanjali Shree was awarded the International Booker Prize 2022 for her novel Ret Samadhi (Tomb of Sand). In conversation with Sudha Sadhanand, Shree talks about Tomb of Sand, her narrative craft and her journey as a writer.

One of the cruellest ironies of the climate crisis lies in the paradox of how those who have done the least to bring it about are the most significant victims and sufferers. Island nations are especially vulnerable to soil and coastal erosion and rising sea levels. A committed panel examines fundamental questions of accountability and climate justice and discusses focused initiatives, including recent requests for Advisory Opinions before the International Courts, and the path ahead.

Indian film-maker, fashion designer, poet and artist Muzaffar Ali's recent memoir, Zikr: In The Light And Shade Of Time, is an ode to his childhood, his experiences of the Indian film industry, and his enduring love for poetry and devotion to Sufism. Divided in three parts, the autobiography begins by tracing his royal lineage of the House of Kotwara, to his tryst with filmmaking, poetry, art and spiritual mysticism. In conversation with Meera Ali and Sanjoy K Roy.

Award-winning poet and dancer Tishani Doshi's work spans time and space, drawing on the extraordinary minutiae of nature and humanity, to poems traversing history and the cosmos. In a session on dance and poetry, she takes us on a journey through the natural world, feminine power and rebirth.

Priyamvada Natarajan is Professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy at Yale University. A cosmologist immersed in the mysteries of the universe, she is noted for her work in mapping dark matter, dark energy and black holes, and literally creates maps of invisible matter. The acclaimed author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas that Reveal the Cosmos takes us on a tour of the ‘greatest hits’ of cosmological discoveries over the past century. Her extraordinary gift for making scientific theory accessible to general audiences and her commitment to developing strategies to enhance numerical and scientific literacy for the public at large make her an ambassador for learning. A fascinating and engrossing session, introduced by Sanjoy K Roy, that gives us insights into the nature of our universe.

Author, surgeon and academic Sharad Paul takes us on a riveting journey through the connections between our evolutionary past and our future wellbeing. His book, The Genetics of Health: Understand Your Genes for Better Health, combines everyday health with evolutionary biology and explains how to improve our overall wellness on the basis of our gene type. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, he discusses the shifting landscape of health, genetics and evolution in a world moving forward from COVID and the path ahead.

Three celebrated winners of the prestigious Booker Prize come together to talk and read from their work.. Geetanjali Shree's epic hindi novel Ret Samadhi, translated into English as Tomb of Sand, won the International Booker Prize in 2022. Damon Galgut won the Booker Prize in 2021 for his novel, The Promise. Howard Jacobson was awarded the Man Booker Prize in 2010 for his novel, The Finkler Question In conversation with Puneeta Roy, Founder and Trustee of The Yuva Ekta Foundation.

Celebrated writers Mary Beard and Christina Lamb come together to discuss how history and modern day politics have treated powerful women across time. Taking examples from the classical world to the 21st century, discussing figures like Medusa and Athena to Hillary Clinton and Malala, and coming down to their own lived experiences; they discuss the cultural underpinnings of misogyny and the packaging of women into the male template of ‘power’.

The idea of a Silk Road linking East and West was first dreamt up by a German geographer in the 19th century and has since become a popular way of thinking about early globalisation, evoking notions of caravans of yaks crossing the Himalayas or camels striding over the desert oases. But has the success of the idea of a Silk Road obscured the importance of sea routes and maritime trade? What better place than the Maldives to reassess the importance of the churning oceans?

Celebrated travel writer Pico Iyer and sustainability champion and luxury visionary Sonu Shivdasani examine our era of constant movement and connectivity to discuss the conscious practice of stillness. The idea of a 'Slow Life' and the practice of sitting with no goal in mind and immediate destination in sight is integral to sanity in today's madly accelerating world. Together, they explore the mental and physical benefits of this way of living and the adventure of going nowhere.

What does the face of power look like?
Who gets commemorated in art and why?
And how do we react to the statues of politicians who we deplore?
Leading classicist and cultural commentator Mary Beard’s recent book, Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern, explores how Roman art has shaped the Western world’s understanding of power for over two millennia. Examining the relationship between ancient imperial imagery and modern visual imagination, Beard takes us through the images of Roman emperors, especially the ‘Twelve Caesars’, from the ruthless Julius Caesar to the fly-torturing Domitian, to understand their modern significance. In conversation with historian Peter Frankopan, she discusses changing identities, clueless or deliberate misidentifications and the often uncertain representations of authority.

Indian economist and historian Sanjeev Sanyal's book, The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History, explores the historical significance of a region that spreads across East Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to South East Asia and Australia. Steeped in research based on remote archaeological sites, ancient inscriptions, maritime trading networks and half-forgotten oral histories, Sanyal takes a deep dive into a world of connected histories, regions and civilisations in conversation with writer and former diplomat, Navtej Sarna.

Academic and writer Peter Frankopan’s latest book, The Earth Transformed: An Untold History, is a revolutionary new history that reveals how climate change has dramatically shaped the development—and demise—of civilisations across time. Spanning centuries and continents, Frankopan explains how nature has always played a fundamental role in the writing of history and evaluates the fall of civilisations at the behest of Mother Nature.

Celebrated author and Festival Co-Director Namita Gokhale's edited Anthology, Mystics and Sceptics, contains accounts of mysticism and faith from across the Himalayan terrain. In this anthology you will find myths, legends, meditations, memoirs and historical accounts of saints, seers, seekers and spiritual traditions. Author, columnist, and former diplomat Navtej Sarna has also contributed to this book. Together in conversation with Pragya Tiwari, they discuss the diverse and unfathomably rich narratives rooted in the sacred geography of the Himalayas

A session bringing together the holy trinity of filmmaking: an Actor, a Producer and a Director. Audiences across India and the world are touched alike by the emotive connectivity and the spirited character of the narratives in Bollywood films. Discussing the creative processes of one of the largest industries in the world, celebrated actor Vidya Balan, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur and director and actor Shekhar Kapur speak to Vikas Swarup, author of Q&A which was famously adapted into the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, on the boundless and perennial appeal of the Indian Film Industry and its ability to stir and fascinate audiences across the globe.

"Paradise: that elusive place where the anxieties, struggles, and burdens of life fall away. Most of us dream of it, but each of us has very different ideas about where it is to be found. For some it can be enjoyed only after death; for others, it's in our midst-or just across the ocean-if only we can find eyes to see it."
Celebrated writer Pico Iyer's latest book, The Half Known Life, is a tribute to the insatiable human longing for Paradise. Travelling across Iran to North Korea, from the Dalai Lama's Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan, Iyer brings forth a caravan of explorations to upend our idea of utopia and explores the process of finding peace in midst of chaos.In conversation with writer and Festival Co-Director, Namita Gokhale.

William Dalrymple’s multi-award-winning histories, The Anarchy, White Mughals, Return of a King and The Last Mughal, comprise the essential collection, The Company Quartet.
The conquest of India by the British was not achieved by the British Crown. Instead that conquest was carried out by a dangerously unregulated private company, headquartered in a small office five windows wide in the city of London. The East India Company replaced the Mughal Empire and came to be the first global corporate power. In conversation with the celebrated writer and historian Peter Frankopan, Dalrymple unravels two hundred years of colonial history, covert political machinations and bloody resistance - the rise and fall of the East India Company.

Booker Prize winning author DBC Pierre's latest book, Big Snake Little Snake: An Inquiry Into Risk, examines what constitutes long odds, short odds, adjacent odds, kismet, and the power of thought in influencing outcomes. A rumination on risk, the stories in the book were recorded during Pierre's travels to Trinidad on his way to make a short film with a Parrot and aims to shed light on the invisible odds and outrageous chances of everyday life on Earth.

Former Diplomat and columnist Navtej Sarna is the acclaimed author of several books across genres: literary and historical fiction, essays, travel and spirituality. His recent award-winning novel Crimson Spring, set against the epic backdrop of India's freedom struggle, brings to life the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre through the eyes of ordinary individuals. His earlier works include The Exile, a novel based on the tragic life and star-crossed destiny of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Indian possessor of the fabled Kohinoor diamond; the haunting literary novel We Weren't Lovers Like That; the short story collection Winter Evenings; a translation of the Zafarnama and much more. In an illuminating session evoking life, literature and heritage he speaks to Sanjoy K. Roy on his literary journey and the nuances of the written word.

Sometimes only a poem will do. William Sieghart’s poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice offer comfort, delight, and inspiration for all. In the years since he first had the idea of prescribing short, powerful poems for all manner of spiritual ailments, Sieghart has taken his ‘Poetry Pharmacy’ around the world, into the pages of the Guardian, onto radio and television, honing his prescriptions all the time. In this enlivening session with Booker Prize winning author, Damon Galgut, he discusses his prescriptions, those poems which, again and again, have really shown themselves to work as poetic therapy.