Mangaluru: Distinguished thinkers, including former RAW chief Vikram Sood, ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, and ambassador TS Tirumurti, will participate in the 8th edition of the Mangaluru Lit Fest. It will be organised by Bharath Foundation and held at TMA Pai International Convention Centre on Saturday and Sunday.Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Bharath Foundation trustee Sunil Kulkarni said that the festival, which is dedicated to promoting the ‘Idea of Bharat’, will offer tributes to legendary Kannada novelist SL Bhyrappa. A special session titled ‘Literature Inspired by Bhyrappa’ will be organised as part of the festival. The sessions will be conducted by Shatavadhani R Ganesh and GB Harisha. A special interaction session with Rajya Sabha member and historian Meenakshi Jain will be held during the inaugural session, he said.Vikram Sood and Sriparna Pathak, professor of China Studies and the founding Director of the Centre for Northeast Asian Studies at OP Jindal Global University, will discuss the topic ‘Global Power Games’. Meanwhile, expert panellists Ruchira Kamboj, Swasti Rao and journalist Aditya Raj Kaul will deliberate on ‘India’s Challenging Neighbourhood: Role of Extra Regional Powers’. TS Tirumurti, Dr Sreeram Chaulia, and Vijit Kanahalli will discuss the topic ‘Indian Thought in a Globalised World’.Shatavadhani R Ganesh and Ajakkala Girish Bhat will deliver talks on ‘Search for Values Through Literature’ during a session under the Art, media, and literature category. Smita Prakash (editorial director, ANI), Padmaja Joshi, and Surabhi Hodigere will discuss how digital news is shaping the public sphere. Noted filmmaker P Sheshadri, actor Malavika Avinash, and writer Pallavi Rao Karanth will speak during a session on ‘Film and Thought’. Journalist Vishweshwar Bhat’s book ‘Badukulidavaru Kandante’ will be discussed by Shrikant Shetty Karkala. Actress Ranjani Raghavan, Poornima Suresh (Su From So), and author Seema Burude will take part in a session on ‘Imagination, Narrative, and Camera’. A Bombeyata (puppetry) performance will be presented by Ujjwala Krishnara, Kulkarni explained.Sanskriti Bharathi, Mangaluru, will present a session on Sanskrit titled ‘Chinnara Angala’. Sessions on the Kodava language and Tulu script will also be held as part of the lit fest. Jayanth Kodkani, former associate editor of The Times of India, will engage in conversation with journalist Manuja Veerappa during a discussion on ‘Red Cherries on the Canara Coast: The Story of Cricket in Mangaluru and Udupi’, he added.
