Lit talk at this fest will celebrate writer Khushwant Singh's legacy
All roads for bibliophiles lead to the hills as the three-day festival at Kasauli, dedicated to late writer Khushwant Singh, returns with 50 plus speakers.
When life forces you to take a path that goes downhill, often one’s courage and conviction take the first hit. But beyond that, some bounce back to look at challenges in the face, and say — Bring it on! That’s the spirit of the organisers of the upcoming edition of the Khushwant Singh Literature Fest (KSLF).

“Because of the landslides and floods in North India this year, a lot of people have suffered and couldn’t support us. Hence, we are crowdfunding the fest. We want to go ahead with it because we want the youngsters to know about the ideals of late Khushwant Singh,” says Niloufer Bilimoria, founder-director of KSLF. Adding to this, Rahul Singh, the writer’s son, says, “My father was very concerned about preserving the ecology of the Himalayas... So we’ve ensured that this is a green fest.”


In its 12th edition, this year, the theme of the festival is The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Be The Change You Want To See. Keeping this as the core, the selection of speakers for panel discussions is quite eclectic. Among them is writer Anirudh Suri, who will be making his debut at the fest. He says, “My book, The Great Tech Game, is about technology and geopolitics, and how technology is shaping our world... The discussion at the fest will also be around artificial intelligence.”
Alongside the several panel discussions, there will be performances such as the play, With Love Aap Ki Saiyaara, by artiste Juhi Babbar Soni. Bilimoria adds, “On the final day, a musical session will pay a tribute to Khushwant Singh. Here, all his favourite songs will be heard in the voice of Delhi-based singer-writer Minu Bakshi.”
Catch It Live
What: Khushwant Singh Literature Festival
Where: Kasauli Club, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh
When: October 13 to 15
Timing: 9am to 5pm
