Where Literature, Culture, and Cinema Collide at the 5th Dehradun Literature Festival, Starting on October 27th

Uncover the 5th Dehradun Literature Festival, a literary extravaganza on Oct 27-29 at two iconic city venues.

on Oct 20, 2023

Where Literature, Culture, and Cinema Collide at the 5th Dehradun Literature Festival, Starting on October 27th | Frontlist

During a press conference today, the 5th edition of the Dehradun Literature Festival (DDLF) was revealed. The literary extravaganza will be held from October 27th to 29th at two locations in the city: Doon International School (Riverside Campus) and Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort & Spa.

Founder and Producer of DDLF Samraant Virmani told the reporters during the conference, "Back in time, when literature festivals had started all over the country, Dehradun still did not have its own literary platform to bind the entire community."

As a newly formed state and the country's educational hub, a venue where our student community could gain exposure was essential. So, in 2017, DDLF was created, and in a short time, we have grown into a festival that belongs to all of Uttarakhand's inhabitants, not just the Dehradun community."

The inaugural day of the DDLF at Doon International School (Riverside Campus) will feature Nobel Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Ruskin Bond, Ashok Chakradhar, Dr. Bibek Debroy, Gurcharan Das, Hindol Sengupta, and many more literary luminaries.

The partnership with the renowned Agatha Christie Festival, which was recently completed in the United Kingdom, will be the centrepiece of this year's DDLF. The festival will send a representative to DDLF, Dr. Mark Aldridge (author and Agatha Christie expert), marking its first appearance at any literary event in India.

In another move, the DDLF is honouring Gaura Pant, alias Shivani, a literary icon from Uttarakhand, in her centenary year of birth by establishing an award in her honour. The award, known as the 'Shivani - Iron Lady of the Hills,' provides a cash prize of Rs. 25000 and recognises the great achievements of notable female authors who write in Hindi and have continuously given women front stage in their creative masterpieces.

The festival also holds an annual literary competition, seeking manuscripts in two categories: 'Budding Writers' and "Promising Writers." The winner receives the 'Ruskin Bond Literary Award' from popular author Ruskin Bond himself.

"DDLF is a festival that we mindfully curate to stir a confluence of as many ideas, dialogues, domains, and icons as possible," Samraant added. This year, we're going worldwide while also honouring our legacy by bringing together two remarkable female writers, Agatha Christie and Shivani Ji, on the same platform. While Dr. Aldridge will speak on Christie's legacy, we will honour Shivani ji's memory by presenting her with the Iron Lady of the Hills Award in her centenary year."

Vishal Bhardwaj, a prominent Indian filmmaker, is another key patron and advisor to the Dehradun Literature Festival. Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of the Solang Valley, his most recent OTT release, is inspired by Christie's work The Sittaford Mystery. "I've seen DDLF grow from strength to strength each year," Bhardwaj remarked of the upcoming DDLF edition. The Agatha Christie workshops will be a highlight this year, and I'm excited to chat to the audience about this wonderful, timeless mystery writer."

"We are delighted to have a presence at DDLF this year, with Dr. Mark Aldridge, a distinguished Agatha Christie scholar." "Our goal is to help festivalgoers develop a deeper appreciation for Christie's timeless works," stated Heather Norman-Soderlind, Chair of the Agatha Christie Festival.

This edition of DDLF will witness a wide array of renowned literary personalities from diverse domains such as literature, culture, cinema, and public life, including Wasim Barelvi, Dr Tanaya Narendra, Geet Chaturvedi, Imtiaz Ali, Sobhita Dhulipala, Muzzafar Ali, Samir Soni, Saurabh Dwivedi, Aditi Maheshwari, Akshat Gupta, Swastika Mukherjee, Swapna Liddle, Satya Vyas, Yatindra Mishra and Purushottam Agrawal.

Doon International School Director HS Mann stated his excitement about hosting the Dehradun Literature Festival at DIS, adding, "We are thrilled to host the Dehradun Literature Festival at Doon International School." It is a major event for our students because it allows them to interact with some of the best minds in literature, culture, and movies. This festival encourages and strengthens our community's literary spirit."

Owner of Book World Randhir Arora shared information about some of the topics of discussion at the upcoming DDLF, saying, "Some of the crucial topics that will be discussed during this edition of DDLF include poetry, cinema, media, food, mental and physical well-being, body autonomy, artificial intelligence, language, history, creativity cityscapes, and much more." Several free workshops will be held over the three-day festival, including a theatre class by Imtiaz Ali, a poetry workshop by Nayab Midha, and a mystery writing session by Dr Mark Aldridge, among many others."