Pune literary fest: We must give Pune time to rise to level of Jaipur LitFest, says author

With more than 100 authors participating in the 3rd Pune International Literature Fest that will be inaugurated by Shatrughan Sinha Friday, noted city-based writer Prof R Raj Rao said that lit fests were a great opportunity for writers – who otherwise languish in comparison with filmmakers to showcase their work.

Vishwakarma publications will present the 3rd PILF in association with MAEER’s MIT from September 4 to 6 at YASHADA. Dr Manjiri Prabhu — city-based author and filmmaker who founded the PILF in 2013 told Newsline that the people’s participation has increased over the last three years. Labeled as ‘Desi Agatha Christie’, Dr Prabhu, who has published eight books, also said that to make the fest more meaningful — a social theme of the global image of India has been selected for some of the panel discussions.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Prof R Raj Rao, the former head of English department at Savitribai Phule Pune University, whose novel ‘Lady Lolita’s Lover’ will be released at the Lit fest September 6, will also be in conversation with Jerry Pinto, a Mumbai-based Indian writer of poetry and children’s fiction in English. “We must give it time to rise to the heights of the Jaipur Lit Fest and I am sure it will,” said Raj Rao — who was the first to offer a course on LGBT literature at Pune university.

After attending the literature festival in Shillong, Raj Rao stressed that they provide a great opportunity for writers.He said that his book was India’s answer to Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Authored by D H Lawrence, the book was banned for obscenity in its time.