Shashi Tharoor to Inaugurate DC South Asian Literary Festival

"Dr. Tharoor, one of the most well-known authors and orators, will launch the literary festival together with many other well-known authors and poets

on Apr 11, 2023

Shashi Tharoor to Inaugurate DC South Asian Literary Festival

Shashi Tharoor, a leading Indian opposition politician and prominent author will officiate off the third annual DC South Asian Literary Festival on May 5 at the JCC Rockville in suburban Washington, DC. Several additional well-known authors and poets will be featured during the event.

Tharoor, a former UN Under Secretary General, former Indian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Sahitya Akademi Award recipient, has written several fiction and non-fiction novels. He is a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers.

"Dr. Tharoor, one of the most well-known authors and orators, will launch the literary festival together with many other well-known authors and poets, and we are looking forward to it," said Manoj Singh, Executive Director of the DC South Asian Arts Council, which sponsors the festival.

Sheela Murthy, a notable immigration lawyer, businesswoman, philanthropist, and speaker best known as the founder and president of the Murthy Law Firm in Owings Mills, Maryland, will host the event.

Aditi Rao's biography, "Being Sheela: The Life Story of an Immigration Lawyer," was released in 2021.

Murthy, an Indian native, and her husband, photographer, and media specialist Vasant Nayak, formed the Murthy Nayak Foundation to direct their charitable donations to organizations that serve the needs of women, children, and immigrants, notably in education and health care.

Arundhati Subramaniam, another well-known novelist, will attend on Saturday, May 6. She has earned the Raza Award for Poetry, the Zee Women's Award for Literature, the International Piero Bigongiari Prize in Italy, the Charles Wallace, Visiting Arts, and Homi Bhabha Fellowships, in addition to the Sahitya Academy Award.

The first 50 people who register will receive a complimentary copy of Adithi Rao's book "Being Sheela."

According to the Council, the literary festival's goal is to spotlight more South Asian talent while also expanding its audience and breadth.

This April, the second annual virtual DC South Asian Literary Festival (DCSALF) featured a discussion between two globally renowned Urdu and Hindi scholars, Gulzar and Dr. Gopi Chand Narang.