The recently concluded Bangalore Literature Festival was a timely reminder of how focusing on books, at the end of the day, matters the most and will bring in the crowds, if done right
The Bangalore Literature Festival was a free event and had sessions across 10 stages in a single venue
Will Gopi be coming tomorrow? The kids will go berserk,” remarked an author at the adjacent table during an informal dinner the night before the 12th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) was to kick off. The discussion sparked off a conversation about the pet dog of a certain popular author – the host city’s most famous writer by miles. This was going to be fun. Imagine my first major ‘overhead’ after landing for my whirlwind visit to the Garden City’s biggest literary spectacle was centred on a pet dog and his famous owner even before they took stage the following day. I was intrigued and curious about the reader community here, especially after being privy to a lot of dedicated column space and social media chatter that hailed the exceptional bandwidth – be it their many charming bookstores or book club initiatives.
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As the day dawned, the view of the incoming, ‘enthu cutlet’ [as a friend had dubbed them] crowds queuing up even an hour before the first session from my breakfast table made the crunch of the medu vada even more crackling; it offered some indication of what was to unravel. As the day panned out, I witnessed citizens pack into the ten venues that included the main section for grown-ups as well as the section for children’s events. Barring a couple of indoor stages, a majority of sessions were held outdoors doing full justice to the pleasant weather.
While the mela-like vibe was infectious, there were some observations that got my vote instantly. For one, there was no commercial branding—the festival is self-funded, with patronage from benevolent, visionary Bangaloreans—both famous and lesser-known; this wiped out possible eye sores like kiosks and corporate plugs [read: standees and promotional banners et al] that are now integral to most cultural and literal gigs across Indian cities. Barring the odd merchandise, like bookmarks, tees and board games at the bookstore, there were no gimmicky sights to dilute the essence and culture of reading. Secondly, the bookstore was the heartbeat of the event—the title curation, the presence of booksellers and the readers’ enthusiasm was all-too-infectious. The only reason I curbed my instincts from going overboard was because I didn’t wish to end up paying for excess baggage. Thirdly, the festival curation. No forced Bollywood-ised sessions, where the usual suspects show face, pose for selfies and sign autographs. Who cares if they’ve never read a non-fiction title in their life? Excellent time-management meant that almost every session started and ended on time, ensuring there was zero time wastage. Being a largely open-air festival, crowd control was pretty much in check; this we must mention because when we checked in, we learnt that a parallel business event was underway in the same hotel. There was no confusion, with adequate signage and enough eager-beaver volunteers who were ready to ferry a lost soul in the right direction.
The organisers also tried their best to ensure the city’s infamous traffic didn’t play spoilsport. While there were complaints as usual where people missed their favourite sessions, we also read in the press that provisions were made by civic authorities where shuttle services were arranged from the nearest Metro station, egging people to leave their cars at home and attend the festival by using public transport. Adding to my collection of ‘overheards’, I learnt that the Bangalore junta gave it a thumbs up. What about the brains behind this mega idea? Let’s just say that they flew so low under the radar that many had to ‘Google’ them to know how they looked!
I was particularly impressed by the audience’s interest in literature from other cities; the thought made me a tad anxious, given the nature of my own recent work. At my session for 12-year-olds and above, I was wowed by their energy and awareness of landmarks, sights and sounds in Bombay – a memorable takeaway, no doubt. One of my most lasting sights that best summarised the experience for me will be that of families spending their entire day at the fest: parents heading to the main stage to listen to Ramachandra Guha or Perumal Murugan express their views, not before dropping their kids off at any
one of charmingly planned children’s venues. It was a safe, secure space where every BLF team member made one feel as if they were a part of this big, fat thriving ecosystem of books.
And for those who want to know whether Gopi came.
He showed up and regaled the bachcha party especially. The audience had their fill of the author and her beloved pet.
There are lit fests, and then there are ‘lit’ fests. This celebration of words gave us the best of both, where the reader was front and centre of everything. Here’s hoping that it continues its fine run as a blockbuster…no wait, a bestseller.
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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