Visit to Hyderabad Literary Festival – 24th January

Twinkle Kondepogu – B.A. MLHJ III Year

Hello everyone,

This is Twinkle Kondepogu from B.A. MLHJ III year. I have seen my seniors and super seniors talking about HLF and their experiences while they were in college, and that led me into the space of curiosity to know about HLF and experience it. Finally this year, by God’s grace, it was my turn to go and explore it by myself. It was a very different kind of experience for me. I had so much to learn and explore and to meet new people. I met many innovative startup founders and their ideas were inspiring and interesting. I bought a lot of stuff along as a memory.

I want to take a moment to thank the Department of English and Foreign Language for encouraging us to take part in all this. My special thanks to Dr. Jhilam Chattaraj ma’am for the incredible opportunity and to our HOD Suchitra ma’am for the constant support. It was so much fun going along with my juniors, super juniors, and my batchmate Hassena. We took a lot of photos. Thank you HLF for making it possible and keeping literature and art still alive in the era of technology. I would like to make it a ritual visit every year from now on. Whoever is reading this, if you ever get a chance to go to HLF, don’t miss it. Trust me, it’s going to be an amazing memory.

With love,

Twinkle Kondepogu

Ankar Megha – B.Com Computers II Year

I visited the Hyderabad Literary Fest and had a wonderful experience. The sessions were beautiful and full of meaningful ideas. Many great poets shared their inspiring thoughts and poems. Listening to them felt magical and enlightening. It was a different experience to hear poetry live rather than just reading it in books. The way they expressed emotions through their voice made every word more powerful.

The atmosphere was creative, calm, and full of literary energy. I could see people of different age groups sitting together and listening with so much interest. There were beautiful stalls with books, art, and unique items. Each stall had something interesting to explore and admire. I spent some time going through book collections and reading summaries to understand the themes. I discovered new authors and stories that sparked my curiosity and made me want to read more in my free time. Overall, it was a peaceful and inspiring experience for me.

Jayanti – B.Com Computers II Year

Visited the Hyderabad Literary Festival on the 24th of January with my colleagues. It was my first time visiting HLF. We explored a lot of stalls, workshops, and exhibitions, and also attended the Kaavya Dhaara session led by Dr. Jhilam Chattaraj. I had the chance to hear some incredible authors speak. It was a great reminder of how much talent and diverse thought we have around us.

Getting hands-on and learning a new skill alongside other enthusiasts was a fantastic way to step outside my usual routine. Interacting with people who share similar interests made the experience even more meaningful. It really drove home the value of continuous learning and looking at things from a fresh, creative perspective. I’ve come back with a fresh outlook and a long list of book recommendations that I’m excited to explore.

Haseena Ahmed Jabri – B.Sc. FSCCA III Year

Visited HLF on the 24th of Jan with my colleagues. It was my first time visiting HLF. We explored a lot of stalls, workshops, exhibitions and also attended the Kaavya Dhaara session led by Dr. Jhilam Chattaraj. I had the chance to hear some incredible authors speak. It was a great reminder of how much talent and diverse thought we have around us.

Getting hands-on and learning a new skill alongside other enthusiasts was a fantastic way to step outside my usual routine. It really drove home the value of continuous learning and looking at problems from a fresh, creative perspective. I’ve come back with a fresh perspective and a long list of book recommendations.

On 24th January, I attended HLF for the first time, and it felt like a gentle pause from everyday life. The day was calm, inspiring, and deeply memorable. I explored different art forms, met authors and people from diverse backgrounds, and attended sessions like Kaavya Dhaara, which reminded me how powerful spoken words can be.

The Youngistaan Nukkad offered some of the most engaging experiences. The Networking Board stood out for its ability to recognise talent and connect people within the same industry, creating opportunities for growth and collaboration. The Little Boto Project beautifully showed how colouring-based artworks can strengthen bonding between parents and children while nurturing creativity, focus, and learning.

Reading took on a creative form at Booqx, where participants exchanged books with strangers, encouraging a shared reading culture. Pustakaar, a mobile library, added an element of surprise by letting readers roll a die to choose a wrapped book, making reading playful and exciting. I ended the day by gifting myself a few badges and bookmarks—small memories from a meaningful experience.

Pranathi – B.Sc. MSDS II Year

This is Pranathi, B.Sc. MSDS II year. I was very glad to be there and want to thank Jhilam ma’am for suggesting me to go there. It was a beautiful experience for me as an art admirer. It was not just a literary fest but a gathering of art irrespective of which form it is. I attended a few sessions where speakers shared their creative journeys, and it was inspiring to see how passionate they were about their work.

I also enjoyed walking around the venue and observing the art displays and book stalls. Seeing so many people interested in literature and art made me feel happy and motivated. Your job there is just to enjoy and learn a new perspective of each art form. I didn’t even realise when time flew by because every session had something new to offer. Also, the venue was so good and the management did a great job organizing everything smoothly. I’m really lucky that I had a vibeful company with me, which made the whole experience even more memorable and enjoyable.

All of us visited HLF under the guidance of Dr. Jhilam Chattaraj ma’am, and we sincerely thank her for giving us this opportunity. We extend our best wishes to everyone. Apart from academics, such festivals boost students’ confidence, creativity, and communication skills. They provide relaxation from regular routine and help us gain new perspectives in an inspiring environment.

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Weekly Author Feature.

Anuradha Roy

Anuradha Roy

Anuradha Roy is a prominent contemporary Indian novelist writing in English, known for her refined, introspective, and emotionally resonant style. She was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and studied in India before beginning her career in publishing. She later became closely associated with the Indian literary world not only as a writer but also as an editor—she has served as an editor at Roli Books, a major Indian publishing house. This dual role has given her a deep understanding of literature, narrative craft, and the evolving concerns of modern Indian writing.

Roy’s fiction is marked by a strong focus on inner lives, especially those of women, and on the subtle ways in which history, politics, and society shape personal destinies. Rather than addressing social issues through loud or polemical narratives, she prefers quiet, reflective storytelling where emotions, memory, and silence play a crucial role. Her novels often explore themes such as freedom and confinement, trauma and healing, displacement, family relationships, and the tension between individual desire and social expectation. Anuradha Roy is widely appreciated for her lyrical prose, psychological depth, and humane perspective, which place her firmly within the tradition of serious Indian literary fiction.

Her famous work: All the Lives We Never Lived

This is Anuradha Roy’s best and most impactful work, widely recommended for readers of all ages and backgrounds. Set against the backdrop of India’s freedom movement, it beautifully explores themes of freedom, identity, and personal sacrifice in a thoughtful and relatable manner, making it suitable for almost every reader.

Sources : Author interviews and profiles in The Hindu and Indian Express

• Publisher descriptions and literary reviews.

Weekly Author Feature 

Meena Kandaswamy.

Meena Kandasamy 

Meena Kandasamy is a prominent Indian writer who writes in English and is known for her fearless and powerful voice. She is a poet, novelist, essayist, and activist whose work strongly addresses issues of caste, gender, patriarchy, and political violence in Indian society. Her writing challenges dominant narratives and gives space to voices that are often silenced.

She first gained recognition through her poetry collections Touch and Ms. Militancy, where she blends personal experience with political resistance. Her poems are sharp, direct, and emotionally intense, reflecting her commitment to social justice and equality. Through poetry, she established herself as a bold and uncompromising literary voice.

Meena Kandasamy later moved into fiction with novels like The Gypsy Goddess and When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife. These works received international attention for their experimental style and honest portrayal of oppression, trauma, and survival. Her novels are known for breaking traditional narrative structures and confronting uncomfortable realities.

Overall, Meena Kandasamy stands out in Indian English literature for combining art with activism. Her writing is not just meant to be read, but to provoke thought, resistance, and dialogue, making her an important contemporary author to feature.

Sources:

Wikipedia, Penguin Random House India, Simon & Schuster India.

 Weekly Author Feature.

RUPI KAUR.

Rupi kaur 

Rupi Kaur is an Indian-origin poet, author, and illustrator, born in 1992 in Punjab, India, and raised in Canada. She is widely known for bringing poetry into the digital age and for giving voice to young women across cultures.

Although she lives abroad, Rupi Kaur’s writing is deeply influenced by Indian experiences, especially themes of womanhood, patriarchy, migration, family, and generational trauma—all of which strongly reflect Indian society and diaspora life. Her poetry often mirrors the silence, strength, and resilience of Indian women.

Her bestselling book Milk and Honey explores pain, healing, body image, and female endurance—topics closely connected to the lived realities of many women in India. The Sun and Her Flowers focuses on roots, immigration, identity, and belonging, symbolized through flowers and ancestry, echoing Indian cultural values. Her later work Home Body reflects inner healing, selfhood, and emotional survival, themes relatable to contemporary Indian youth.

With her minimalistic style and emotional honesty, Rupi Kaur represents a modern Indian voice on a global platform, bridging tradition and modern expression.

Sources:

1.Wikipedia – Rupi Kaur (biography, works, images)

2.Official author pages: Simon & Schuster

 

 "Between the First Bell and the Last Goodbye",poem by Haseena Ahmed Jabri, B.Sc FSCCA III year.

Between the First Bell and the Last Goodbye.

the first year,

college smells like fresh notebooks

and unopened possibilities.

Corridors echo with laughter,

friendships are formed over borrowed pens

and shared curiosity.

Eyes sparkle with ambition,

hands reach for everything at once—

clubs, debates, libraries, late-night talks,

dreams scribbled in the margins of timetables.

Life feels wide, forgiving,

as if time has agreed to wait.

Then comes the second year.

The excitement settles,

replaced by weight.

Syllabi grow thicker,

expectations louder.

Marks begin to matter more than curiosity,

grades whisper judgments,

and comparisons creep into conversations.

Sleepless nights become routine,

smiles turn practiced,

and stress sits quietly in the chest.

Some days feel heavy without reason,

and ambition begins to feel like pressure.

Learning continues—

but now with exhaustion,

and silent battles no one talks about.

Final year arrives without warning.

Suddenly, time runs faster.

There are entrance exams to conquer,

resumes to perfect,

conferences to attend,

workshops that promise direction.

Minor projects demand major effort,

certification courses stretch already tired days.

Coffee replaces sleep,

discipline replaces comfort.

Every step feels urgent,

every decision permanent.

Yet beneath the tension,

something strong is forming—

resilience.

The courage to keep going,

the belief that effort will become opportunity.

And somewhere between deadlines and dreams,

the student becomes a professional,

the learner becomes a seeker,

and college life—

with all its chaos and growth—

quietly shapes a future

worth all the struggle.

"Love at First Sight", a Spoken poem by Arundhati Udhari 

Love at First Sight — Spoken Word for Parents.

They say love at first sight

Is just a story.

But tell me—

What do you call it

When a child enters the world

And becomes everything

In a single second?

I was placed into their hands,

Hands still trembling from pain,

Yet holding me like

Nothing more precious had ever existed.

Their suffering didn’t disappear—

It transformed.

Pain turned into purpose.

Tears turned into strength.

Their eyes met mine—

No questions.

No conditions.

Just love,

Pure and overflowing.

No expectations followed me into life.

No dreams were forced onto my future.

Only a promise, unspoken but eternal:

We will walk beside you.

This—

This is love at first sight.

Not the kind that fades with time,

But the kind that begins it.

So this is for every parent

Who loves before asking,

Who gives without counting,

Who turns their pain

Into a child’s safe world.

Your love is the first miracle

We ever know.

"WHO DECIDES HEAVEN?" By Aastha Mishra BSc. ZCFS , II year

 

Credits: Pinterest 

We arrive in tears we didn’t earn,

tiny lungs, borrowed hope,

soft hands holding us like we already mattered.

A father’s heaven might be his children laughing,

warm bread, tired evenings, a world gentle again.

A brother’s heaven could be promising his sister

she won’t break alone,

and a grandfather’s heaven might simply be

one more day to see the people he raised breathing.

So who decides heaven?

A priest with practiced comfort?

A poet who never held death in their palms?

Or the quiet wishes born in ordinary rooms,

never holy, but painfully real?

Then we go.

No warning, no curtain call,

just an empty chair, a toothbrush untouched,

and a door that stays unlocked,

as if hope refuses to learn the truth.

They say, “Heaven gained an angel.”

But if heaven takes one soul to ease its loneliness,

and leaves another soul gasping on the bedroom floor,

is that paradise, or cruelty dressed in wings?

Maybe heaven is earned peace for the one who goes,

and hell is carved into the chest

of the one left behind.

Because what is heaven to the gone

is abandonment to the grieving.

Maybe the truth is darker than comfort can bear:

heaven isn’t a promise above,

it’s a memory below,

and hell is simply living in the space

where they used to stand.