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One of the astir wide attended lit festivals successful India, The Hindu Lit For Life 2026, was inaugurated successful Chennai astatine Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, connected Saturday (January 17, 2026).
Speaking astatine inauguration, Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, The Hindu Group and laminitis of Lit for Life, said, “As an integral portion of an autarkic media house, we transportation with america the honorable and fearless traditions of The Hindu... of adherence to antiauthoritarian values, societal inclusiveness, justice, information and a steadfast committedness to the state of expression, which is the cornerstone of this festival.”
She added, “Across the globe, arsenic good arsenic here, we are witnessing threats to escaped code and antiauthoritarian spaces are shrinking. Writing sometimes becomes an enactment of courage, and festivals similar these should observe and basal by the voices that dissent, voices that are often powerless, and go spaces wherever state and humanity is celebrated. We are precise gladsome excessively that this festival provides the opportunities for festival goers to conscionable their favourite authors and prosecute with them directly. We are besides organising publication signings here, contiguous and tomorrow, and 1 of the astir joyful sights for america is to spot however galore radical bargain books. This year, we person sessions implicit 3 spaces. We person had festival gatherings specified arsenic LFL unplugged and the LFL dialog successful antithetic cities, which person attracted immense audiences and proved to beryllium precise popular. We are hoping to adhd a mini children’s festival adjacent twelvemonth to promote speechmaking and reasoning successful young minds.”
Conversations much needed than ever: Grayling
Well-known British philosopher and writer A.C. Grayling, 1 of the guests astatine the inauguration, said, “I’ve been attending literate festivals for much than 25 years, and successful the past 15 years oregon so, I’ve noticed the proliferation of festivals each astir the world, and immoderate of the starring festivals successful the United Kingdom, Australia, present successful India, person go bigger and bigger arsenic years person passed by, marking the information that the speech astir books and what books contain, astir the stories that we unrecorded by and archer 1 another, and the ideas that leap disconnected the leafage are a large inspiration for the speech that immoderate nine has to person with itself.”
Mr. Grayling, whose works specified arsenic The Goodbook and The God Argument, added that authoritarian sentiment and regimes person risen to greater prominence successful our satellite and that “conversation is much acutely indispensable than ever”.
“What authoritarians privation to bash is to unopen america up. They don’t privation america talking to 1 another, exchanging ideas, challenging 1 another, making 1 different think. And yet, the thought of a nine staying alive, of keeping fresh, of ever rethinking its assumptions, is truthful cardinal to the full statement that comes disconnected printed page,” said Mr. Grayling.
‘Listen, read, defy haste’
Former Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, said that perceive cautiously and speechmaking intimately and resisting haste lies astatine the bosom of literature.
“The Hindu Lit for Life has brought a convergence of writers who prosecute with history, with politics, euphony and adjacent sport, their lives and enactment show that lit is not isolated from life. It converses with life, essays, memorials, fabrication and taste commentary unneurotic make a abstraction wherever ideas question crossed boundaries and disciplines judgment, whether literate oregon judicial, demands patience attraction and an openness to complexity. The subject of speechmaking closely, listening cautiously and resisting haste lies astatine the bosom of some lit and justice. A jurist is trained to recognise that each lawsuit contains aggregate truths, competing narratives and silences that indispensable beryllium heard. Literature sharpens this sensibility. It reminds america that down each statement lies the quality story, and down each decision lies a work to crushed with care,” helium said.
Justice Chandrachud added, “The Hindu Lit for Life affirms the enduring relevance of books successful nationalist life. It creates a shared abstraction wherever ideas are tested successful speech alternatively than consumed successful isolation by listening to 1 different crossed differences of language, content and experience, we larn to admit not positions oregon identities, but people, chap quality beings whose lives are worthy of attraction and care.”
Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu Group, said, “What makes this Literature Festival genuinely unsocial is its corporate nature. Reading is often a solitary act, but festivals alteration it into a shared intelligence experience.”
L.V. Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer, The Hindu Group, said, “The Hindu Lit for Life features astir 50 sessions with implicit 100 speakers dispersed implicit these 3 venues and 8 workshops astatine 3 chiseled spaces.”
Suresh Balakrishna, Chief Revenue Officer, said, “We person had a grounds registration this year. As of fractional an hr ago, we person had 10,234 registrations. And that’s a grounds fig for america truthful and this grounds gets beaten each year, and I’m definite adjacent twelvemonth it volition beryllium adjacent bigger than this. But being the Chief Revenue Officer of this company, the lubricant for this full festival. I person to convey each those radical who provided the lubricant for making this festival truthful bully for each of you, truthful each our sponsors.”
The Hindu Lit For Life is presented by The all-new Kia Seltos. In relation with: Christ University and NITTE, Associate Partners: Orchids- The International School, Hindustan Group of Institutions, State Bank of India, IndianOil, Indian Overseas Bank, New India Assurance, Akshayakalpa, United India Insurance, ICFAI Group, Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Limited, Vajiram & Sons, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Mahindra University, Realty Partner: Casagrand, Education Partner: SSVM Institutions, State Partner: Government of Sikkim & Uttarakhand Government
Official Timekeeping Partner: Citizen, Regional Partner: DBS Bank India Ltd, Tourism Partner: Bihar Tourism, Bookstore Partner: Crossword and Water Partner: Repute Radio partner: Big FM
