The curious thing about festivals is they mirror the societies that create them. The Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF), now entering its 15th year, is one such mirror. From January 24 to 26, 2025, Sattava Knowledge City and T-Hub will transform into epicentres of creativity and dialogue for HLF 2025.
With over 200 speakers and an estimated 80,000 attendees, HLF will be a sprawling symposium that unites authors, artists, academics and visionaries from around the world. It is, in many ways, a festival that explores the fundamental human need to tell stories.
The litfest will also pose questions that go beyond literature: What does it mean to preserve endangered languages? How do science and storytelling intersect? And, perhaps most crucially, how does a festival in Hyderabad encapsulate the world?
Personalities Shaping HLF 2025
Expect an eclectic lineup of speakers. Special guest Shabana Azmi will celebrate her 50th year in cinema with a conversation that promises to weave together her journey as an artist and her role as a cultural icon. Joining her are luminaries like actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai and peace worker Harsh Mander, whose sessions promise to traverse topics as varied as cinema, journalism, and social justice.
The festival’s literary core is bolstered by authors like Ruthvika Rao and Nishanth Injam, Telugu writers whose works resonate far beyond the boundaries of their linguistic heritage. With Rajmohan Gandhi, Siddharth, and performers like Adishakti Theatre and Advaita adding their voices, HLF 2025 offers a variety of perspectives.
What’s New And What’s Enduring
Every year, HLF reinvents itself while staying true to its roots. In 2024, the festival introduced three new streams: Indigenous and Endangered Languages, Climate Conversations, and Science and the City. These streams return this year, enriched by fresh ideas and urgent questions.
Indigenous and Endangered Languages
Imagine a world where half of the languages spoken today vanish by the turn of the century. This sobering possibility is at the core of the Indigenous and Endangered Languages (IEL) stream. Featuring poets, storytellers, and researchers like Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra and Dr. Sujoy Sarkar, the stream aims to preserve linguistic diversity while celebrating its creative potential. From panel discussions to performances by collectives like Relaa, IEL is a call to document, cherish and sustain the voices that shape our cultural fabric.
Climate Conversations
Curated by EkoGalaxy, this stream brings together conservationists, scientists, and storytellers to address the pressing challenges of our time. With speakers like Bittu Sahgal and Romulus Whitaker, the sessions range from biodiversity and policy to reimagining our relationship with the natural world. The stream’s diverse formats (stand-up comedy, music, workshops) underscore the idea that environmentalism is about engaging hearts and minds.
Science and the City
Hyderabad marries historical grandeur with technological ambition, so it is the perfect setting for this stream. Through sessions like Soumya Swaminathan on antimicrobial resistance and Gautam Bhatia on science fiction, the stream examines how science shapes our daily lives. HLF has long been committed to sustainability, from its plastic-free policies to its emphasis on reusable materials and public transport. By bringing together scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs, it asks: What does it mean to build a culture of science in a city with such a rich cultural heritage?
Conversations That Matter
The plenary sessions feature intimate conversations that delve into art, activism, and the human condition. Highlights include:
- Shabana Azmi in conversation with Amita Desai on her cinematic legacy.
- Amol Palekar and Sandhya Gokhale exploring their creative journey with Mohana Krishna Indraganti.
- Rajdeep Sardesai and Sunita Reddy dissecting the evolving landscape of journalism.
- A valedictory session with Harsh Mander and Rajmohan Gandhi, a dialogue on justice and history.
Meanwhile, the parallel sessions and workshops offer something for everyone (from deep dives into the nutritional atlas of India to explorations of gene therapy and the future of food). The festival’s expansive programming ensures that every attendee finds their niche, whether they are a bibliophile, an environmentalist or a curious wanderer.
When: January 24 to 26, 2025
Where: Sattva Knowledge City and T-Hub, Hitech City
Entry: Free and open to all. Register on the official website
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