What You Need to Know About The Hindu Lit for Life Festival

At the main stage for the talks. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

Attended this two-day event for the first time though it’s been in my plans for ages. It’s Chennai’s version of a literature festival and was held in a concert hall in Chetpet. I live farther out so made a little staycation out of this and chose to set up base at a nearby hotel, which worked out well since parking space was limited on-site and being able to walk over in a few minutes was a welcome option looking at the cars lining up at the entrance trying to make it in on time for each session. I had my pros and cons to the experience so read on to learn more. 

Views from the balcony seating area. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

1. While the venue to the city was central, nothing about it seemed convenient for attendees. Parking was a hassle and there seemed to be no arrangements to at least be able to stop vehicles aside for passengers to get in/out without causing a major traffic bottleneck. Add to that the rains that visited on exactly those two days and it was a recipe for unpleasantness. There also appeared to be very little security – despite having to register online for tickets, no efforts were made to check who entered the venue. In fact, should there have been an emergency, I doubt the organizers would be able to verify/provide the identities of attendees on-site. There were bag checks that were half-hearted at best. And if you were mobility-challenged, good luck. One security guard I inquired with about how someone on a wheelchair might access the venue stated they could be carried in – probably not the answer or the aid that one using a wheelchair would like or want. I did not see any sign language assistance anywhere and do not know if it was even offered as a requested option. 

2. There were multiple food and activity stalls outside the building where the event was being held and that was great to see. Convenient for a quick picker-upper midday but there were absolutely no arrangements made for people to sit anywhere and indulge in that food. A few random benches and a handful of tables to stand at were about the options. Food and drinks were not allowed inside the building so what is an attendee to do? As a result, people began sitting on the very stairs that are intended for attendees to enter the different halls in the building for various sessions. That created its own set of accidents – food and drinks spillage – and people tumbling over others in their hurry to make it from one session to another. Safety was not a priority it appears. 

Lines outdoors for the author meet and greets. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

3. Sessions were held across multiple buildings, possibly to disperse crowds across the space but except for the main hall that was air-conditioned, the other sessions were held outdoors. Weather conditions were not taken into consideration in planning the venues. Neither the heat nor the rain were bearable. In fact, the outdoor venue was shifted after the first day of rain resulting in a space that simply wasn’t accommodating for as large a crowd as the sessions attracted. The outdoor spot intended for the author book signings had a covered space for the author but no such arrangements for the crowds waiting in long lines to have their copies signed. That shouldn’t be the price to pay for a book signing! Especially not for the elderly and senior citizens. 

4. To add to the conundrum, each session only had 5 minutes between them for attendees to make way to/from other sessions. Accompanied by constant pleas from the MC to have everyone seated out of respect for the speaker / presenter / author. An unfair ask given the distances and obstacles to be traversed making the way from one session venue to another, unless out of necessity or need, attendees just sat put in one spot and never budged. The caliber of the speakers was worth making the dash but having to dash into a few other attendees in the process of making it from one session to another was rather inconvenient. Makes me wonder if the organizers did even a mock rundown of events to ascertain for themselves how much time and effort one such dash would take.

Leander Paes in conversation was a win! (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

5. Some sessions included a Q&A and some did not but any that did have a Q&A were haphazardly handled. An entire balcony section up top simply didn’t even stand a chance until attendees began yelling for attention so they could be heard. I know, I was there. And half the time when they were paid attention to, the microphones did not work and there appeared to be no tech personnel around to assist with that issue. Some questions though I was stunned were even permitted. And others were not even questions but simply people waxing poetic about an unrelated but what they thought pertinent topic. A better scenario I’ve experienced in attending such events is to shortlist questions ahead and have attendees in line in one spot for the Q&A to be completed in a timely and efficient manner, with the speaker looking in one direction addressing the attendee, instead of having someone with a mic run around trying to find which raised hand to run to. 

6. That said, some of the sessions I enjoyed included those by Shashi Tharoor, Peter Frankopan, L Subramaniam, the women in fiction panel, and some more I’m probably forgetting. Some I simply couldn’t make it in to attend because by the time I ‘braved the crowds’ so to speak and managed to get to the talk, it was a full house. Tennis legend Leander Paes was the closing chat the first night, and they did a great job saving the best for last. Ending on that high note was much needed and Paes delivered a win. Aside from his exemplary professional career, he shared many lovely personal snippets, and his general charm added a touch of warmth to the panel. He closed the night receiving a standing ovation from a full hall. 

Some of the artwork at the art exhibit. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

7. The bookstore on-site selling books by some of the authors present was a temporary venue, but no arrangements were made to guide the attendees through the room. With folks entering from two different sides, it was chaos central trying to get close enough to the books you wanted. And once the books were purchased, there was nowhere to put them so if you had multiple books and bags, you were lugging them around with you through the whole venue. One solution would be to have a storage area with assistants saving the bags for you in a secure location until you were back to retrieve them at the end of the day. That would seem like a welcome use of some of the personnel that seemingly appeared not to be performing any productive functions on-site whatsoever. 

8. There was a splendid arts and crafts exhibit happening during the lit fest that I never heard announced even once in all the sessions I attended. Quite the pity since it was a beautifully curated experience and some of the pieces on display were immaculate. I’m unsure how many attendees even knew of it or visited it but I have some pictures here of some of the art that caught my attention. I only caught site of this at the end of the lit fest and spent a few minutes walking around, but I wish I had known earlier to spare more time to indulge in the arts as well as the literature. I wonder if many of the speakers even bothered to step in here but to the curator and the artists that had their works shown here, kudos! 

Another well-attended session. (Image: Ruksana Hussain)

​Considering the tag line for the festival was The Sharpest Literature Festival in India, there was much lacking, to put it rather bluntly. While I have not attended other lit fests across India, I’ve attended festivals of a similar nature and caliber in other parts of the world and believe there is much that can be improved upon alongside everything achieved thus far to truly make this a world-class experience. I’m hoping to attend a future version and hope it’s a better experience, beyond the speakers that is. 

​Hope you enjoyed this little review and found it helpful. Let me know your experience if you go. If you enjoyed reading this post, then hit that coffee cup at the bottom of your screen to support my work. I pen these articles from my own experiences and share information that might assist in planning a better visit for you. If you liked this post, then check out some of the other Chennai posts or Tips and Tricks posts on the the site.

Author

Ruksana Hussain is the publisher and editor of Traveler and Tourist digital magazine, author of Around the World in Los Angeles, and award-winning journalist and writer at RH Media Consulting. Connect with her on Instagram and Facebook or through the Contact Form.