'India, that is Bharat' storms Hyderabad Literary Festival

Hyderabad, Jan 21: Gunjan Veda, the author of "Beautiful Country: Stories From Another India," attended Hyderabad Literature Festival on Sunday, Jan 20. Ms Veda co-authored the book with Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed, CEO INDIAReads.com.

During her presence at the literary festival, Ms Veda participated in a panel discussion on "India, that is Bharat" with eminent panellists like Dilip D' Souza, Aarthi Ramachandran and Aparna Rayaprol.

Ms Veda brought to the panel her insightful views about the country gleaned through her extensive travels. As Officer on Special Duty with the Planning Commission, she travelled from the scattered habitations of Ladakh to the seething Valley of Manipur, from the closed tea estates of Jalpaiguri to the crowded by lanes of Varanasi chronicling the lesser know stories of ordinary Indians.

Her book Beautiful Country is a compendium of these experiences and compels readers to experience the misery and triumph, failures and innovations of an India that remains hidden in the age of 24x7 media channels and Wikipedia.

Started in 2010, Hyderabad Literary Festival (HFL) celebrates creativity in all form and it draws more than 100 writer, scholars and publishers from India and abroad. Every year HFL invite a foreign country to showcase their literature and this time it's France.

"It is an honour to be a part of this cultural event which brings together writers from different languages, cultures and even nationalities. Besides enriching Indian literature, it also provides authors an opportunity to interact with their audience," said Ms Veda.

Such interactions, believes Ms Veda, provide valuable feedback to the authors and go a long way in reviving reading habits amongst the youth.

"In a world where everyone is accessible with the click of a mouse, there is a need to bring readers and authors closer. And this is precisely what Lit Fests do," she explained.

In keeping with her belief, her organization, INDIAreads.com organizes Literary fests across campuses in the country.

OneIndia News