The 13th edition of the three-day Khushwant Singh Literature Festival takes off in Kasauli on October 18

Thirteen is not often a number cherished. At times, it is! As the 13th edition of the three-day Khushwant Singh Literature Festival (KSLF) prepares to roll from October 18, it’s time once again for the Kasauli Hills to imbibe words of wisdom, reverberate each thought and imbue in the spirit of wise voices from across the country.

Amid the serene and tranquil environs, a bevy of litterateurs, cultural doyens, thought leaders and men of distinction, including William Dalrymple, Imtiaz Ali, L Subramaniuam, Amitabh Kant, Anindya Roy, Devdutt Pattanaik and Manish Tiwari, are set to exchange views, spawn ideas.

As the Chandigarh Press Club on Tuesday, during the announcement of the festival, the director of KSLF, Rahul Singh, son of renowned author Khushwant Singh, jogged down memory lane as he shared, “I have fond memories of the Press Club. I once served as the president here in the years gone by and am happy to announce this year’s festival at this place. It is a grand celebration of recent books, a tribute to our music and much more. The festival has gone on for 13 long years, even online during the pandemic, and that itself is testimony enough to our efforts.”

The theme of this year’s festival, Resilience and Renewal, is intended to resonate deeply with the times we live in. “The last few years, as we all know, have been a tribute to the enduring human spirit, its ability to adapt, overcome and flourish among challenges. We are here to celebrate the same,” he said.

Literature, like life, is an evolving journey. “Whether it is through poetry, storytelling or debate, resilience finds its way into our narrative, offering inspiration that we all need. The KSLF is a beacon of optimism. In the theme, there is an element of abiding hope, as we take up a host of issues, including our defence forces, ecology, girl child education and secularism,” he added.

However, Singh rued the fact that representatives from across the border, Pakistan, are no longer a part of the proceedings, “There are some issues that prevail, but we need to build bridges between nations. Across the globe, there is instability. Dialogue and discussion is the way ahead. In inclusivity lies the key to a future filled with hope. Hatred is not good, communities need to stick together; divisiveness and polarisation will never help.” Promising that Hindi and Punjabi languages will be an integral part of the Festival in the times to come, he said, “Diverse languages of India need to be talked about, cherished. We will focus on it in the future.”

Not forgetting to thank the Vianaar Group, which is into construction of eco-friendly homes, and will be an integral part of the Festival this time around, he shared, “The Vianaar Group, through its representative Sheetal Chadha, has come out in big support and that is so heartening. Their philosophy is in tune with the green festival we are hosting this time.” Time for some more wise words!