The Delhi Lit-Fest 2015

The Delhi Lit-Fest 2015 was a landmark event as it was held for the first time in Delhi. The public response to the event was very positive. People had a wide choice of speakers and authors to choose from and the topics covered a vast range of subjects.

There were some invigorating and explosive sessions to attend one in particular was with RajdeepSardesai, Madhu Kiswar and Kingshuk Nag as the speakers and Ajoy Bose as moderator. The subject was quite controversial, the topic being Writing on Namo- the Deification or Demonisation of Narendra Modi. Another interesting session was with Gurcharan Das in conversation with Shubhashis Gangopadhyaya. He regaled the audience with gripping Stories from the Bazaar - The Evolution of Indian Capitalism.

Beauty and Choice: Food, Wellness and Well-being by Mickey Mehta, Vesna Jacob and Dr. Ashwani Chopra of Ashlok Hospital had the audience attentively listening to thoughts on Karma, Destiny and Happiness which can translate into good-health and well-being. The main factor for disease and ill-health is stress and faulty lifestyle, according to Dr. Chopra. Mickey Mehta suggested evolving as a human-being by optimising on situations in life. A.P. Maheshwari, Priya Dutt, Manisha Koirala and Dr. Bhawna Sirohi were an eminent panel of speakers on Cancer, the moderator being Harmala Gupta. Mr. Maheshwari, a police officer having lost his mother to cancer, had co-authored a book with his sister on their journey through the struggle, the care, love and support required for a cancer patient, along with the preparation of the patient to cope with the painful end. Manisha Koirala spoke of her personal fight with cancer and how she came out victorious. Priya Dutt spoke of her childhood experience of losing her mother to cancer at a very young age. Dr. Bhawna Sirohi offered inputs on the latest medicines in India and abroad.

Economist Padma Desai and Shobhaa De spoke on Modern Woman as Public Enemy No.1 with Nilanjana Roy as the moderator. The men in the audience appeared very positive in their support towards women and their problems!

The keynote address on The Truths of Well-Being by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev had the largest gathering. The audience was kept enthralled by the wit and humour of the speaker. His inputs on life and its journey had simple examples which everyone in the audience could relate to. He spoke about how experiences in a persons life are directly related to his thoughts and actions. He said, Your life is your Karma.

On that note ended a very enriching and varied platform of learning and awakening for the people of Delhi!

Ms. Punam Thapan.