According to a recent article in The Print, there are currently over sixty-five literature festivals in the country—in different shapes, sizes, and colours. Most of them are centred in particular cities and venues; others are more versatile, some are peripatetic. Some focus on celebrities and particular genres, and for some the dominant theme is the promotion of a brand. Many are closer to showbiz, celebrity endorsements and the like. Some have different levels of access depending on the ticket level, patron pass or the sponsor’s clout and contribution. All are finding their levels, and the proliferation is certainly welcome, for they foster discussion on books and authors. In many ways, Litfests are the new folk festivals—they are performed in each locale with its own flavour and nuance. Let me therefore share with our readers the vision of VoW in particular and how we are trying to achieve it.
As VoW enters its sixth edition, it is important for us to spell out our core values. We proudly announce that we are open access and volunteer-driven. Everyone is welcome, and this year we are really looking forward to receiving our authors, readers and stakeholders in person at Dehradun and in the venues of our partner institutions. Our volunteer programme has also gained strength, and we are happy to share that so many young students are reading, reviewing and blogging about books, interviewing their favourite authors, and most importantly developing a new confidence. This closely connects to the related theme of intergenerational dialogue that we wish to promote. Students play the lead role in organizing the inter-college debate—from the setting of rules to the selection of topics and the format of the debate. Volunteers have made their own broadcast groups on WhatsApp and Telegram to give wider currency to our Book a Day series. Readers of The Book Review who would like to join are welcome to send a WhatsApp message to 9599742500.
We celebrate books, not celebrities. Being a celebrity is not a disqualification, but the Jury and Board focus on the quality of scholarship in the book under consideration for the Award. This does make the task very difficult—for the Secretariat as well as for the Jury and the Board, but it is also very meaningful. The joy of discovering new authors is a delight in itself, and while most may not make it to the Longlist or the Shortlist, we do try to find a way to promote them on our website as well as in Afternoons with an Author. From next year, we will also be on the lookout for smaller independent publishers, especially in the category of translations, so that we acknowledge alphabets and voices that do not get a mainstream platform.
Another core value is partnerships. We partner with The Book Review Literary Trust for reviews of all the forty shortlisted titles, with Tadbhav for all the Hindi titles, with the NDLI, MIT and Upgrad for our broadcasts of Afternoons with an Author, with Daly College Indore and AFS schools for celebrating the writings on Young Adults, with IIP and CBRI for hosting all the Hindi authors. The sessions on Military History and Strategy are being organized jointly with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on the theme of how the world looks at India in the seventy-fifth year of its Independence, and vice versa. As India takes the Presidency of G20, India’s contribution to the global strategic dialogue has to be both salient and nuanced.
The RS Tolia (RST) Dialogues are being organized with the NTPC Chair at Doon University on the theme of sustainability, especially with regard to non-conjunctive use of water. We have an offer from the Chennai International Centre for supporting sessions in Chennai on 17-18th December later this year. These partnerships are very valuable for they give the authors and readers an opportunity for engaged conversations, and also make the Dehradun event more manageable. The TBR series, now in its fourth year, is a veritable treasure-trove for anyone wanting to read about the best books in these eight genres in a particular year.
Books must be seen and browsed before they can be read. True, the online purchase of books is easy—and sometimes discounted—but there is no substitute for holding a book, flipping through the pages and whenever possible getting the author to sign the book. This is why we are promoting Iti Lekh: a book fair to coincide with our festival. Publishers will get a chance to display their best books, and invite their authors for book launches with an engaged audience. They may also leave their nominations for the 2023 VoW Awards with the Secretariat. This will also be good for us, as we can start the process of longlisting immediately after the close of this edition.
Two significant additions this year are Iti Natya and the Iti Nritya—to celebrate theatre and dance among school and college children. Again, our focus is to collaborate with institutions in Tier II/III cities to ensure that we can reach out to the largest numbers. The more art forms we have, the more inclusive and participative the festival becomes.
Selecting a subject for debate amongst MPs where they can voice their opinions as freely as possible is always a challenge, for most issues are hotly contested on party lines. Over the years we have found subjects on which a healthy bipartisan debate can be organized. Thus, we have chosen themes like ‘The Best Debates Occur Outside of Parliament’, ‘English is (also) an Indian Language’, ‘Delimitation of Constituencies is Important to Make Representative Democracy Meaningful’. This year we have asked MPs to debate on whether ‘A Double-digit Growth is Possible Only Through Urbanization’.
All of this is fine, but it requires funding—had it not been for our key sponsors, who have been with us for all these years, it would just not be possible. Based as we are out of Dehradun, the Government of Uttarakhand and the ONGC have been our key support base. PFC has supported the Awards. Without Green Panel, Coal India, Nafed, Trifed, Ministry of Tourism, Gujarat Ambuja Exports and LSC Infra, this festival would not see the light of the day.
Let me end by saying that each year, the publication of the special issue of The Book Review in October actually marks the commencement of the Festival. For these pages give you a ringside view of all the books that will be read, discussed and critiqued at the festival Thank you Team TBR for your support in spreading the word!
Sanjeev Chopra curates the Valley of Words, an international literature and arts festival which is held at Dehradun in November every year since 2017. His recent book is We the People of the States of India: The Making and Remaking of India’s Internal Boundaries (HarperCollins India).