The Bangalore Literature Festival was a comforting sign of the return to normalcy

The first time I went to a literature festival, the guests included Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Tom Wolfe, Anita Desai, David Lodge, Peter Ustinov, Harold Pinter. Watch | Highlights of the Bangalore Literature Festival 2022 The return of the lit fest has been both stealthy and noisy. “We are 200 cultures divided by a common frame of reference.” Translations, Booker winners and more Translation is the flavour of the season, especially after Geetanjali Shree’s International Booker Prize, and the BLF reflected that. Ravichander, described on the festival website as ‘Friend, Philosopher, Mentor and Ultimate Fundraiser of India’s only citizen-funded literature festival,’ has this metric, “Audience turnout across age groups; diversity of subjects and inclusivity in programming; sustainability.” The BLF ticked all the boxes. At the BLF, for instance, a panelist responded to a question with, “That’s none of your f***ing business.” I will certainly remember that, as I will an assertion by an admiring scholar, “I think Pico has attained nirvana.” The BLF was a sign of normality, accompanied by the comforting thought that there is enough citizen support, from the financial to the physical, to sustain it.