Solan, April 9
The second day of the Shoolini Literature Festival on Saturday witnessed sessions from renowned panelists like Aseem Chhabra, Mukul Deva, Namrata Joshi and Pratik Guleri.
The day’s sessions opened with the “Literature in the Post-Digital Era”. It had panellists Kunal Nandwani, Arjun Gupta, and Anjana Menon, who discussed the potential of complete digitisation.
The day’s highlight was a panel discussion with Aseem Chhabra, actor and critic, Namrata Joshi, film critic, and Mihir Pandya called “Talking About Movies.” During the session titled ‘Thrillers, Killers, and Gumshoes. Mukul Deva was also present in the session. Mukul Deva is an Indian polymath based in Singapore, he is a motivational keynote speaker, executive coach, business mentor and bestselling author.
Anjana Menon gave a brief overview on the evolution of digital media and how it is consumed. She said that internet tools have made writing simple and easy for anyone. According to Arjun Gupta, technology has made writing easier, and today anyone can write using data analytics and search engine optimisation. Kunal Nandwani discussed virtual reality using Metaverse as an example. He went over the benefits and drawbacks of the digital world, as well as the scary threat it poses.
Mukul Deva discussed the fundamentals of a thriller fiction. He also talked about how writing a thriller differs from writing an academic novel or a murder mystery. “The only restriction you put for yourself is the one you set for yourself,” he stated while discussing his transition from army to writer to motivational speaker.
“There is a creative writer in each of us,” Prof. Manju Jaidka said during the session ‘Thrillers, Killers, and Gumshoes.’ She talked about her books and how she transitioned from academic writing to writing criminal thrillers. She also provided a description of her book as well as some background on the characters.
The panel ‘Himachal – Land of Gods’ discussed the culture of Himachal Pradesh with panellists Durgesh Nandan, Pratyush Guleri, and Nem Chand Thakur.
Pratyush Guleri spoke on the lovely Himachali literature and how we must be steadfast in displaying and feeling proud of our own language. “We are unqualified to talk about culture and legacy without our own language,” he added.
The transformation in regional Himachal areas after the 1990s was explained by Nem Chand Thakur. “It is difficult to maintain old culture and custom in today’s world of modernization, but we must do so in order to remain diverse,” he said.
According to Durgesh Nandan, Himachal Pradesh has a rich cultural and legacy, however it is dispersed due to a lack of adequate organisation. Prof. Roshan Sharma and Dr. Ashoo Khosla moderated the discussion.
The day concluded with a panel discussion chaired by Jiya Lal Thakur and his company titled “Himachali Troupe.” There were also panel discussions on ‘Adrift with Literature,’ ‘Writing and Its Discontent,’ and ‘Call of Valley.’
Anirban Bhattacharya, Jagannatha Roy, and Ahsan Ali paid homage to Birju Maharaj and Lata Mangeshkar on the evening of first day of the literature festival
