In 2010 Anil Dharker was persuaded by friends to start a literary festival in Mumbai. Literature, he said, should be seen through the lens that complements the spirit of our city: lively, energetic, cosmopolitan literature that was truly alive and Literature Live! soon became Mumbai’s answer to everything literary in the city.
Introduced to the city over 15 yrs ago Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest held at NCPA the iconic venue by the sea, has been presented in ways to appeal to the academic and the lay reader, the book worm and the occasional browser, the serious writer and the one who dreamt of being a writer, the festival brought the community of readers and writers together, created a platform for intellectual and cultural conversations As a natural corollary to this, performances and awards relating to literature became an important part of the festival.
A galaxy of writers and subjects cater to a wide range of vigorous exchanges, intellectual stimulation, wit, food for thought and lots of learning, mixed with our indispensable trademark- a splash of fun. Currently a weekend festival it is a much coveted festival today attracting writers from over 15 countries.
Soon after Literature Live! was launched, Anil Dharker felt that books must be shared through the year. Thus was born Literature Live! Evenings with a focus on book launches and conversations held every month. Later to interact exclusively with students in the comfort of their college classrooms Literature Live! 360@Campus was initiated and it wasn’t long after that The Little Festival ….where books are a lot of fun soon became part of the Literature Live! family. The Anil Dharker Literature Live! Independence Lecture marks the nationalist’s sentiment who shared his birthday with the country’s Independence day. Several eminent voices of India have presided over these lectures on the Idea of India held every August.
It is the love for literature that drives the Literature Live! team to deliver the best in the world of words to the city.
