BLF 2020
HEARTLAND STORIES encourages the narration of individual as well as collective stories so as to unlock those hidden human emotions that are intrinsic to all of us and which bind our spirits together. This togetherness is the powerful force that can be evoked to transform the lone individual into the powerful collective. This is where words written would find voice, silence would find expression and darkness would be illuminated - so as to touch and kindle the soul of every individual, every collective, every society.
Heartland Stories are those stories that stimulate the intellect and provoke detailed discussion and candid dialogue.
Inspired by the glorious traditions and rich history of Central India - stories from the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Sanchi (close to the Heliodorus Pillar and the Udaygiri Caves) and Bhimbhedka, the enticing and mysterious jungles of Central India, the upsurge of traditional and contemporary arts: epics writers like Kalidas; literary giants like Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Hari Shankar Parsai and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan; artists like SH Raza, MF Husain and NS Bendre; musicians like Tansen, Ustad Allauddin Khan and Kumar Gandharv - and the common desire to foster an environment of culture, the Society for Culture and Environment has planned an annual event: The Bhopal Literature and Art Festival.
Bhopal is the city of Raja Bhoja, the Gond Rani Kamlapati and the Nawab Begums of Bhopal. It has seen the rise of Emperor Ashoka and Chandragupta Vikramaditya. Dotted with gardens, its historic palaces and their floral interiors provide rare insights into the aesthetic and cultural finesse of those times. The unfolding of history is reflected in its diverse architecture, its beautiful lakes and its serene multicultural ethos.
On the terraced and other nuanced spaces of Bharat Bhavan, the notable art-hub created by Charles Correa, this Festival would help to satisfy the groundswell of desire -- for quality literature and art - in the enlightened citizens of Bhopal and its environs. Partnered by Sahitya Akademi, the national literature organization the Society for Culture and Environment has carefully crafted this three-day extravaganza of written and painted words.
SAHITYA AKADEMI, India's National Academy of letters, is the central institution for literary dialogue, publication and promotion and the only institution that undertakes literary activities in 24 Indian languages, including English. Over the 64 years of its dynamic existence, it has ceaselessly endeavored to promote healthy reading habits, to keep alive the intimate dialogue among the various linguistic and literary zones and groups through seminars, lectures, symposia, discussions, readings and performances.
Events
Events &
Program Schedule
Program Schedule
Antarang: Precious Water, Scarce Water: Rajendra Singh in conversation with Sanjay Shukla
Vagarth: Society for Culture and Environment presents - Bhajju: A film by Rachita Gorowala
Antarang: Is India Heading for Environmental Collapse : Bharati Chaturvedi in conversation with SPS Parihar and Raghav Chandra
Vagarth: Tribes as Living Bridges: Dr Erach Bharucha in conversation with Ajoy Bhattacharya
Abhirang: Hindu Mythology and Doomsday: Usha Narayanan in conversation with Seema Raizada
Antarang: Indian Environment and the role of Indira Gandhi : Jairam Ramesh in conversation with Abhilash Khandekar
Vagarth: Subhash Chandra Bose, Springing Tiger to Silent Sainthood: Anuj Dhar in conversation with Brig Sanjay Agarwal
Abhirang: Mission Mangal: Minnie Vaid in conversation with Amita Singh and Richa Sinha
TEA
Antarang: How Much Does a Vote Count: Navin B Chawla in conversation with R Parasuram and Rasheed Kidwai
Vagarth: Mohandas to Mahatma : Life and Struggle of Gandhi, Pramod Kapoor in conversation with Sharad Chandra Behar
Abhirang: Business Sutra : Smart Management Indian Style Devdutt Pattanaik in conversation with Pallavi Govil and Rajeev Misra
Saraswati Vandana. Formal Inauguration by Honourable Chief Minister. Announcement of Book Award. Launch of book by Tino de Sa, Pramod Kapoor and Deshdeep Saxena. Inauguration of Bedi Brothers Exhibition (VENUE: BAHIRANG)
Performance by Kalapini Komkali (VENUE: BAHIRANG)
Heritage Walk : Bhojpal to Bhopal, Starts from - Rani Kamlapati Palace, Kamla Park
Antarang: Containing China: Pradip Baijal in conversation with Shivshankar Menon and Ashok Kumar Bhattacharya
Vagarth: Outside Rome don’t do as the Romans Do: Stefano Pelle in conversation with Raghav Chandra and Shailendra Singh
Abhirang: Do Marriages Always Succeed? Kiran Manral will discusss her book Missing, Presumed Dead with Smita Singh
Antarang: Shooting Wildlife: Rajesh and Naresh Bedi in conversation with Abhilash Khandekar and Shailaja Srinivasan
Vagarth: Thrill in the Himalayas: S Venkatesh in conversation with Vinita Dhondiyal
Abhirang: Insider Outsider - Belonging and Unbelonging in North East India : Preeti Gill in conversation with Sujoy Thaosen
Antarang: Literature of Thrillers, Ashwin Sanghi in conversation with Tino de Sa and Raghav Chandra
Vagarth: Reimagine Your Life, Vinita Dawra Nangia in conversation with Kausar Kidwai
Abhirang: The Power of a Woman: Noor Zaheer in conversation with Kaneez Razavi and Richa Sinha
LUNCH
Antarang: India as a new Goliath : Ashok Kumar Bhattacharya in conversation with Anil Jain and Rajan Katoch.
Vagarth: An Intimate Portrait of Jahangir, the Artistic Emperor, Parvati Sharma in conversation with Rima Hooja.
Abhirang: The Winning CEO: Vineet Bajpai in conversation with Rajeev Misra and Pratap Verma.
Antarang: Inside the Making of Indias Foreign Policy: Shivshankar Menon in conversation with Ambassador Amar Sinha and Pradip Baijal
Vagarth: Delhi, the Creation of a Capital: Swapna Liddle in conversation with M M Upadhyay and Meera Dass
Abhirang: Reaching for the Skies against all odds: Nitin Sathe in conversation with Tejaswi Naik and Brig Sanjay Agarwal
Antarang: Independence and Accountability of the Indian Judiciary: Arghya Sengupta in conversation with Dr Vijay Kumar.
Vagarth: In the Belly of the River: Amita Baviskar with Nutan Manmohan and Madhu Verma.
Abhirang: Solving Mysteries Two Thousand Years Ago : Harini Srinivasan in conversation with Dr Pradeep Kapoor.
TEA
Antarang: Disrobing of Draupadi and One for Sorrow, Two For Joy : Tino de Sa in conversation with Tejaswi Naik.
Vagarth: Kavita Path: Manglesh Dabral, Rajendra Sharma, Naval Shukla, Arun Kamal, Umashankar Choudhary and Rajesh Joshi in conversation with Vertul Singh and Pawan Jain.
Abhirang: Savarkar : Hindu Fanatic or Freedom Fighter, Vikram Sampath in conversation with Rima Hooja.
Antarang: Lec/Dem : The Importance of Art/Abhinaya in Our Lives by Geeta Chandran.
Musical Performance (VENUE: BAHIRANG)
Antarang: Lec/Dem on Yoga by Satavisha
Antarang: Sahitya Aur Rajneeti: Manglesh Dabral, Rajesh Joshi, Leeladhar Mandloi
Vagarth: The Climate Crisis: Mridula Ramesh in conversation with Deepak Tiwari and Mahesh Rangarajan
Abhirang: Nine Chambered Heart: Janice Pariat in conversation with Seema Raizada
Antarang: The Rise and Fall of Tigers: Raghu Chundawat in conversation with Abhilash Khandekar and Deshdeep Saxena
Vagarth: Shehar-i-Kashmir: M Saleem Beg in conversation with Meera Dass
Abhirang: Martin Luther King Jr: Santosh Bakaya in conversation with Kaneez Razavi and Rakesh Agarwal
Antarang: The Future of the IAS: Deepak Gupta in conversation with Sanjeev Chopra and Satyanand Mishra.
Vagarth: Barenaked Love: Mihir Shrivastava in conversation with Sufiyah Faruqi and Deepak Tiwari.
Abhirang: Tax Raids and Sex : Chronicles of a Taxman, Ajay Mankotia and Atima Mankotia in conversation with Seema Raizada.
LUNCH
Antarang: Environment at a Precipice: Mahesh Rangarajan in conversation with Abhilash Khandekar and Madhu Verma.
Vagath: Science Fiction and Future Life: Sadhna Shanker in conversation with Dr Neelkamal Kapoor and Sumit Mullick.
Abhirang: Sridevi : An Eternal Inspiration, Satyarth Nayak in conversation with Nirmalya Samanta.
Antarang: The Future of Work: Alwyn Didar Singh in conversation with Anurag Shrivastava, Sanjeev Shriya and Shabari Nair, ILO Specialist.
Vagarth: From My Kitchen To Yours, Maria Goretti in conversation with Chef Ravish Mishra.
Abhirang: Readings by Hindi Short Story Awardees moderated by Vertul Singh.
Antarang: Caste, Class and other human rights issues in India : Raghav Chandra will read from Kalis Daughter in conversation with Niharika Singh
Vagarth: The Modern Monk : Swami Vivekanand, Hindol Sengupta in conversation with Santosh Bakaya
Abhirang: Readings by English Short Story Awardees moderated by Seema Raizada
Antarang: Untold Stories of Resilience in Folk Art : Vinita Sinha
Vagarth: Staying Fit : Raghuraj Rajendran will read from his book 3S and Our Health
Antarang : Valedictory Function and Book Unveilings : Bhopalnama by Vertul Singh, When I Met Myself by Shreyansh Dixit, Murder at Moonlight Cafe by Ishavasyam Dash, Post Millenial Tales by Bhavya and Navya Singh, 3S & Our Health by Raghuraj Rajendran
Antarang: Musical Performance
Disclaimer : The speakers are solely responsible for the views expressed by them during the festival and the society is not liable for them.