Pune: The 4th Deccan Literature Festival opens with fanfare and excitement

Pune, 25th November 2023: “Writing happened accidentally and was never my aspiration,” said acclaimed actor, screenwriter and film director, Saurabh Shukla.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 4th edition of the Deccan Literature Festival, Shukla expressed, “I always wanted to become an actor, but while doing theatre, I realized the need to write because I couldn’t understand other writers’ work. I started writing for myself and then it slowly became a routine for me.”

Bringing a range of artists from various forms of art under one roof, the Deccan Literature Festival organized by the Dakani Adab Foundation commenced at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir today.

This two-day festival was inaugurated at the hands of Saurabh Shukla, in the presence of Padma Shri Waman Kendre; Indian theatre director and academician, Vasant Abaji Dahake; former President of Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Padma Shir Pandit Ramdayal Sharma; folk art personality, Monika Singh; Curator, Deccan Literature Festival, Shahir Sureshkumar Vairalkar, Jairam Kulkarni, Manoj Thakur and Ravi Tomar of the Dakani Adab Foundation, Yuvraj Shah, and others.

A special program – ‘Coffee Table Talk’ hosted by Salim Arif while he interviewed Saurabh Shukla took place after the inauguration. While expressing about Theatres and Films being an art form, Shukla added, “Theatre and Films are not singular art forms, but rather a collective platform where many art forms come together in a symphony.”

“Society can prosper and remain calm with the help of art. Literature in hands with art has the capacity to convert negative atmospheres into positive ones. And, that is why I believe in the need to host festivals like these, which can bring people, art, literature and emotions together on one ground,” opined Waman Kendre.

Talking about the festival, Monika Singh said, “The Deccan Literature Festival is one of the few festivals to bring artists from various languages like Marathi, Hindi and Urdu. It will showcase works of artists from Urdu, Hindi, Marathi and English languages and will try to bring all literature and art lovers together.”

The two-day festival will see insightful debates along with dynamic performances of both seasoned and emerging artists in the realm of theatre.

Lubna Salim and Harsh Chhaya will be seen in the drama ‘Humsafar’, while Monika Singh and Vaibhav Joshi will be reciting poems and ghazals in Hamnava. Nautanki, a folk-art performance, will be anchored by Padma Shri Pandit Ramdayal Sharma. Acclaimed veteran poet and stand-up comedian Padma Shri Surender Sharma will recite his humorous poem, Mujhse Bhala Na Koi.

Established in 2019 by the Dakani Adab Foundation, the Deccan Literature Festival has swiftly become one of the nation’s highly anticipated arts and literature gatherings.

Monika Singh gave the opening remarks, while Padma Shri Pandit Ramdayal Sharma, Vasant Abaji Dahake, Padma Shri Waman Kendre and Saurabh Shukla expressed their views about the festival. Shahir Sureshkumar Vairalkar presented the Vote of Thanks while Milind Kulkarni played the anchor for the program.