The Bengaluru Dialogue was flagged off with a video message by Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson of The Hindu Group of publications.
It was an evening of insightful conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas at the Lit for Life Dialogue 2025, which witnessed a packed auditorium at Christ (Deemed to be University), in Bengaluru on December 20, 2024.
A prelude to The Hindu’s Lit for Life 2025 literature festival, Dialogues are being held for the first time ever in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as a teaser to the main event in Chennai on January 18 & 19, 2025.
The Bengaluru Dialogue was flagged off with a video message by Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson of The Hindu Group of publications and Founder & Chair of The Hindu Lit for Life. “It’s an exciting chapter for us as we build on our relationship with the people of the city [Bengaluru], bringing distinguished writers, creative thinkers, and inspiring intellectuals to interact with an engaged audience.”
Murder She Wrote
The evening began with acclaimed author Anita Nair and speaking to Jayapriya Vasudevan about her new book, Hot Stage. The book is the third in her crime fiction series on Bangalore detective Borei Gowda set in the Garden City. “He emerged in my mind riding a bullet,” the author said speaking of the protagonist.
Recalling moving to the city in 1989 and witnessing its growth over the years, Ms. Nair said the books are “an exploration of Bengaluru through Gowda, an epitome of the city and how it has changed.” Reading excerpts from her book, she spoke of how noir is not about crime committed and crime solved but also social commentary.
Sculpting Song into Clay
Writer and art curator Ina Puri’s conversation with ceramic sculptor G Regu was a meditation on art and its practice. Dwelling on his humble beginnings in Kerala’s Kilimanoor town, Mr. Regu spoke of how his formative days and his interactions with the people of rural Kerala bled into his art.
“Every artist has a specific identity they lend to their work. My themes revolve around rural life,” he said.
From playing with terracotta to sculpting with ceramic, he traced an artistic journey heavily influenced by his association with renowned architect Laurie Baker and his wife, Elizabeth Baker, as well as the Gandhian philosophy they espoused. He also fondly recalled his year of making art in Rangayana, the theater repertory space in Mysuru.
A Life in Cinema
Legendary actor and filmmaker Amol Palekar’s interaction with film writer Balaji Vittal was a fitting end to the evening as they gave the audience a glimpse of the former’s memoir, Viewfinder.
Mr. Palekar spoke of his unconventional choice of pursuing a life in fine arts, his accidental entry into theatre and the lasting impression left behind by his mentors in cinema.
“All the great people who helped me understand theatre and films, the craft and grammar, gave me not only their love but also their knowledge without any reservations…” he said, and quipped, “Surprisingly all of them happened to be Bengali.”
He named cinema giants like Basu Chatterjee, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Tapan Sinha and Biplab Roy Chowdhury along with theatre greats like Sombhu Mitra and Badal Sircar in this list.
To a question on feeling like an outsider in both films and theatre, he said “In both these fields, one tries to be a top star. I don’t relate to how much money a film or thetare production makes. We only talk about commercial success. I never ever believed in that. I don’t think a work of art or a human being can be assessed only by this yardstick,” he said.
The event also saw book signings by Ms. Nair and Mr. Palekar.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)