Shashi Tharoor Inaugurates 12th Edition of PILF; Diverse Sessions Continue to Inspire

The 12th edition of the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) was inaugurated on December 14 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), Baner Road, Pune, by Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP and celebrated author, who inaugurated the event alongside PILF founder Dr. Manjiri Prabhu.

With free entry for all and The Free Press Journal as the media partner, the festival promises an enriching experience for literature enthusiasts and cultural connoisseurs.

There are around 100 speakers and over 70 sessions taking place in three different halls on the YASHADA campus. Tharoor, who is attending the festival for the 6th time, said that this year’s session was fulfilling and relaxing.

Speaking about his long-standing association with PILF founder Dr. Manjiri Prabhu, Tharoor said that he attended the festival for the first time in 2015 and enjoyed it, maintaining contact ever since.

After the inauguration, Tharoor engaged in a conversation with Manjiri Prabhu on “A Wonderland of Words.” Other sessions covered diverse topics like education trends, cultural heritage in the age of AI, creativity, and more. There were also exciting book launches, including Whispers of the Heart by Kavish Mangal, and discussions on Lokmanya Tilak and Talat Mahmood’s legacy.

Sessions on Sunday

Today, on December 15, the festival continues with a packed lineup of sessions. These include discussions on Growth, Leadership, and Strategy with Saurabh Bajaj, Manish Makhijani, and Pawan Verma, as well as Publishing, Technology & AI with Manjiri Prabhu, Gautam Padmanabhan, and Nadim Sadek. Devdutt Pattanaik will explore the theme of Ahimsa in conversation with Bipinchandra Chaugule, while “Balancing Bonds” will feature Air Cmde Nitin Sathe with Lt. Gen Rajeev & Lt. Gen Madhuri Kanitkar. The day promises further engaging conversations and book launches, providing a wealth of knowledge and insights from a variety of experts and authors.

Participants speak up

Leanner Marie, a student at St. Joseph High School, said, “I loved this event. Manjiri Prabhu ma’am comes to our school, and we have read her work, so it was exciting to see her along with the distinguished guest Shashi Tharoor sir. Listening to them was the highlight of the event. I thoroughly enjoyed this fest, and since I have an inclination towards literature, I guess I enjoyed it a bit extra. The new words and the extended vocabulary amazed me.”

Sanzia Selvakumar, another student in 9th standard, said, “This is our first time coming for the event, but I enjoyed listening to Shashi Tharoor sir. I have learned many new words. Listening to him was such a good experience. He spoke about a lot of things, and my takeaway from his speech was that one can truly become successful if they know who they are and what they want. So the key is to know yourself better, and then you can achieve anything. I’m highly motivated, and it was such a good experience altogether.”

Sunena Dhanuka, who came from Singapore to attend PILF, expressed her enthusiasm as it was her first time attending the Pune Literature Fest. “This is my first time attending PILF. My 13-year-old daughter has been selected to sit on the panel discussion. She writes and has been selected by PILF to be one of the panelists. I’m so proud of my child. Because of her, I’m here attending the event. It feels amazing to be part of the intellectual crowd and hear our amazing speakers like Shashi Tharoor. I’m thoroughly soaked in the vibe here.”

Uday Pendae, 71, said, “I’ve been attending PILF since its inception, and with time, I’ve seen it grow in terms of awareness and the number of people attending it. This festival attracts people of all ages, from school-going kids to someone older like me. We have one thing in common, and that is our love for books. That’s why we’re here. No matter what technology brings to the world, print books will never die. I’m here to hear some amazing speakers, and this place is also a good place to meet old associations.”

Swati Aadtya, a working professional who attended the fest with her friends, expressed her enthusiasm for the event. “My friends and I are super excited for this two-day fest. It’s the weekend, so we’re lucky we got the time to attend. We ditched many other events for this weekend, like NH7, but this place is worth coming to. I would urge young people to attend such events as it gives us the exposure to immerse ourselves in literature culture, learn a lot, and have fun. This was our first time, but every working professional should give it a shot.”