5th Dehradun Literature Festival: Where Literature, Culture, and Cinema Converge, Beginning October 27th

Addressing the media during the conference, Founder and Producer of DDLF Samraant Virmani said, “Back in time, when literature festivals had started all over the country, Dehradun still did not have its own literary platform to bind the whole community. Being a newly born state and the educational capital of the country, a forum where exposure can be built for our student community was the need of the day. So, in 2017, DDLF was born, and in a short span, we have become a festival that is a common property not just of the Dehradun community but of all the citizens of Uttarakhand.”

The inaugural day of the DDLF at Doon International School (Riverside Campus) will witness prominent names in the field of literature, including Nobel Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, Ruskin Bond, Ashok Chakradhar, Dr. Bibek Debroy, Gurcharan Das, Hindol Sengupta and many more.

The highlight of this year’s DDLF will be the association with the recognized Agatha Christie Festival, which has recently concluded in the United Kingdom. The festival will be sending a representative, Dr. Mark Aldridge (author and Agatha Christie expert), to DDLF, marking its first presence at any literary gathering in India.

In another development, DDLF is also honoring Gaura Pant, aka Shivani, a literary legend from Uttarakhand, in her birth centenary year by instituting an award in her memory. Known as ‘Shivani – Iron Lady of the Hills,’ the award carries a cash reward of Rs. 25000 and recognizes the outstanding achievements of prominent female authors who write in Hindi and have consistently given center stage to women in their literary creations. The festival also hosts an annual writing competition, inviting manuscripts in two categories: ‘Budding Writers’ and “Promising Writers.” Popular writer Ruskin Bond himself bestows the ‘Ruskin Bond Literary Award’ on the winner.

Adding further, Samraant said, “DDLF is a festival which we mindfully curate to stir a confluence of as many ideas, dialogues, domains, and icons as possible. This year, we’re both going global and celebrating our heritage by bringing on the same stage two outstanding women writers – Agatha Christie and Shivani Ji. While Dr Aldridge will talk about Christie’s legacy, we will honor Shivani ji’s memory by celebrating her centenary year with the Iron Lady of the Hills Award.”

Another significant patron and advisor of the Dehradun Literature Festival is the acclaimed Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj. His recent OTT release, Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of the Solang Valley, is based upon the Christie novel – The Sittaford Mystery. Sharing his views about the upcoming DDLF edition, Bhardwaj said, “I’ve seen DDLF grow from strength to strength each year. The Agatha Christie sessions are going to be a highlight this year, and I look forward to talking to the audience about this genius, immortal mystery writer.”

“We are delighted to mark a presence at DDLF this year, featuring the distinguished Agatha Christie scholar, Dr. Mark Aldridge. Our focus is on fostering a deeper appreciation for Christie’s timeless works among festival attendees,” said 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.

HS Mann, the Director of Doon International School, expressed his delight in hosting DDLF at DIS, saying, “We are thrilled to host the Dehradun Literature Festival at Doon International School. It is a significant event for our students, providing them with a unique opportunity to engage with some of the brightest minds in literature, culture, and cinema. This festival inspires and enriches the literary spirit of our community.”

Sharing information about some of the topics of discussion at the upcoming DDLF, Owner of Book World Randhir Arora said, “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. The three-day long fest will also witness several free workshops for all, including a Theatre workshop by Imtiaz Ali, a Poetry workshop by Nayab Midha, and a Mystery writing workshop by Dr Mark Aldridge, among many more.”

Entry to DDLF will be free of cost, and people willing to attend can avail of the passes by registering at www.dehradunliteraturefestival.com. Also present during the press conference were the Writer and Professor at IMA, Dr. Ruby Gupta, and Sunishchal Parasnis from Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort & Spa.

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