Message From The Festival Director

In just three years, Mumbai's international literary festival has grown rapidly to become one of India's best festivals. It has grown in size and numbers so that over 120 writers and thinkers are expected to participate from all over the world during its four days at NCPA theatres (Tata, Experimental, Godrej, Little and Sunken Garden).

Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest has become immensely popular because it looks at literature in a way that complements the spirit of Mumbai: lively, energetic, cosmopolitan; In short, literature that is truly alive. All four verticals of literature are presented fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. And they are presented in a way which appeals to the academic and the lay reader, the bookworm and the occasional browser, the serious writer and the one who dreams of being a writer. As a natural corollary to this, performances related to literature plays, story-telling with music, performance poetry, dance based on stories and poetry ­ have become an integral part of our festival.

The enthusiastic and knowledgeable audiences that throng the corridors of NCPA during the festival have proved right those of us who felt Mumbai should have its own international literary festival. And how! People are writing in, not just from different parts of our city, but from other cities too, everyone wanting to ensure that they don`t get left out. To them I can only say that the festival runs on a first come, first served basis, so the sure way of being part of the audience is to come early. And stay late. It's a festival for the spirit and the mind, and it comes only once a year.

Anil Dharker