Bangalore Literature Festival

Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) – the name brings back exciting memories of glitterati, fun, responsibilities, drama, laughter, discussions and of course loads of literature!!

BLF was a festival to celebrate the spirit of literature in Namma Bengaluru. It was held from 27th to 29th September, 2013, at Crowne Plaza, Velankani Park, Electronic City. It witnessed a congregation of renowned authors and artists, all joining in with fervour to rejoice literature and focused on rekindling the romance with literature and foster reading and writing, especially among the youth. It offered a national platform with a global appeal and bridged the gap between literature in English and Indian regional languages. Many distinguished speakers like Gulzar, Ramachandra Guha, William Dalrymple, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Farhan Akhtar, Wendell Rodricks, Prasoon Joshi, Sri Sri Ravishankar and many Kannada authors graced the festival.

The joy I had volunteering for BLF was unforgettable! I got the opportunity to compere for three sessions on Day 2 and was a Help Desk volunteer for the other two days. I also got the chance to witness sessions by Ramachandra Guha, Ashwin Sanghi, Farhan Akhtar, Gulzar and a musical treat by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia in Concert accompanied by Subhankar Banerjee.

The experience of volunteering for this event was a very enriching one and a golden opportunity to see many distinguished authors and celebrities. The festival also gave me a chance to make new friends and learn how to manage an event with minimal glitches. It also taught me how to be an efficient team player and coordinate among different departments of work. I thank my College and Director Madam for giving my batch mates and me a chance to participate in this well organised event!