Times Litfest to be held at Mehboob Studios on December 15-17

The Times of India Litfest will enthrall Mumbai from December 1n/5 to 17, 2017, again at the magical Mehboob Studios. The theme is ‘All The World’s A Story’, featuring those from a range of spheres, economics to ecology, films to food, and of course literature. This seventh edition takes the Litfest to the next level, showcasing newer platforms of storytelling, including VR, AR and podcasts. Indeed, with traditional workshops exploring the senses, even a Mentalist, the 2017 Times Litfest offers a truly immersive experience.    

“In its seven years The Times Litfest has enchanted Mumbai with its rainbow offering: the best minds from India and abroad, incandescent discussions, OMG moments,  interactive sessions, great entertainment. We are thoughtful, caring, buzzing and cool -- just like our city. Come and immerse yourself in it, December 15-17, 2017” said Bachi Karkaria, Festival Director, Times Litfest.

As always, the Times Litfest, 2017 will offer counter-intuitive pairing and ‘OMG!’ moments. So in addition to a star line-up Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Emma Donoghue, Deborah Levy, Saroo ‘Lion’ Brierly, Vikram Chandra, Sangeeta Jindal, Kaushik Basu, Neerja Birla, Nalini Malani, Subodh Gupta, Jeet Thayil et al -- Eduardo Sacheri shows ‘the secret’ in his eyes; Gopal Krishna Gandhi brings his erudite eloquence to regional literature; Amit Masurkar shares Oscar hopes and anxieties;  Bill Hayes discusses photography and Oliver Sacks; Sujata Gidla reveals her schizoid world as Dalit activist  working on the NYC metro, Anupam Kher confronts his inner demons,  Anand Gandhi takes us into the heart of virtual reality; Ravish Kumar takes on Kaliyug; Devdutt Pattanaik tells us why he and Ashwin Sanghi are not twins; Gulzar plays Gulzar, Sunil Khilnani podcasts, Vishal Bhardwaj recites poetry, and the dishy Vikas Khanna cooks up poetry. Plus our trade-mark Three Mad Men, Suhel-Cyrus-Kunal, bring the house down.

Also, evening entertainment, including Ameen Sayani reliving his mythic Binaca Geetmala, workshops, bookstore, a hang-out café, food courts, an installation designed by the students of  the L.S.Raheja School of Architecture—and the Times Litfest’s unique buzz.

 Key Authors and Speakers:

1. Bill Hayes
2. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
3. Deborah Levy
4. Eduardo Sacheri
5. Emma Donoghue
6. Laurie Penny
7. Lisa Ray
8. Nandana Dev Sen
9. Neel Mukherjee
10. Plum Sykes
11. Saroo Brierly
12. Stephen Kotkin
13. Sujatha Gidla

1. Sunil Khilnani
2. Vayu Naidu
3. Vikas Khanna
4. Vikram Chandra
5. Claudia Roden
6. Ravish Kumar
7. Shashi Tharoor
8. Anupam Kher + Neerja Birla
9. Hema Malini
10. Vishal Bhardwaj