12th Pune International Literary Festival (PILF): Full Schedule and Guest List for December 14-15 at YASHADA

The 12th edition of the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) will be held on December 14 and 15 at the Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA), located on Baner Road. The event, with The Free Press Journal as its media partner, is open to the public with free entry.

The festival will be inaugurated by Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor, who will also discuss his latest book, Wonderland of Words - Around the World in 101 Essays, during the opening session.

Manjiri Prabhu, an acclaimed English novelist and the founder of PILF, announced that approximately 100 speakers will participate in over 70 sessions across three different halls at YASHADA.

Some key sessions of PILF 2024 include:

Ahimsa: 100 Reflections on the Harappan Civilization - Devdutt Pattanaik will discuss his latest book with Bipinchandra Chaugule.

Lokmanya Tilak - Celebrating the Visionary - Dr. Deepak Tilak and Dr. Geetali Tilak, great-grandson and great-great-granddaughter of Lokmanya Tilak, will discuss his legacy with Jayashree Raghothaman.

Hum Dono - The Goldie & Dev Anand Story - Tanuja Chaturvedi and filmmaker Sriram Raghavan will talk about the iconic Hindi film personalities, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand.

Yours Truly, Sameer - Lyricist Sameer will converse with his biographer Shuja Ali about his life and the book Lyrics by Sameer: The Stories behind the Iconic Songs.

In addition to these discussions, the festival will feature activities for children and young adults, such as Treasure Island, Fun with Augmented Reality, and the Mystery Room. It will also showcase an exhibition from the renowned 250-year-old Rampur Raza Library of Uttar Pradesh, presenting rare manuscripts and miniature paintings, including copies of the Ramayan (1715 AD) and the Quran (7th century).

The primary goal of PILF is to create a platform for direct interaction between creative professionals, experts, and readers, thereby promoting knowledge-based reading and a deeper appreciation for various arts and crafts.

Day 1 - 14 December, Saturday

10:15 am - 10:55 am
Inauguration of PILF by Dr. Shashi Tharoor & Dr. Manjiri Prabhu

11:00 am - 11:45 am
A Wonderland of Words: Dr. Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Dr. Manjiri Prabhu

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Education Trends: Dr. Vidya Yeravdekar & Dr. Murray Tod

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Where the Power Weighs: Vijay Kumbhar & Dilip D'Souza

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm
The Role of Culture & Heritage in Times of AI: Monica Cantieni & Dr. Alka Pande
'Hum Dono' Story: Tanuja Chaturvedi & Sriram Raghavan

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
Creativity & AI: Nadim Sadek, CEO of Shimmr AI
Launch of Whispers of the Heart by Kavish Mangal

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Lokmanya Tilak: Dr. Deepak Tilak & Dr. Geetali Tilak
100 Years of Talat Mahmood: Sahar Zaman & Siddharth Kak

5:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Neighbour or Nay-bour: Amb. Vijay Gokhale & Prof. Sreeram Chaulia

6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Wading through Illusions: Vanita Kohli-Khandekar

Day 2 - 15 December, Sunday

10:00 am - 10:45 am
Growth, Leadership, and Strategy: Saurabh Bajaj, Manish Makhijani & Pawan Verma

11:00 am - 11:45 am
Publishing, Technology & AI: Manjiri Prabhu with Gautam Padmanabhan & Nadim Sadek

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Ahimsa: Devdutt Pattanaik in conversation with Bipinchandra Chaugule

1:00 pm - 1:45 pm
Balancing Bonds: Air Cmde Nitin Sathe with Lt. Gen Rajeev & Lt. Gen Madhuri Kanitkar

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm
Crime and the Cost of Courage: Devika Nadig with Mrityunjay Sharma & Veena Raman

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
Mystery of the Portuguese Hearts: Manjiri Prabhu with Nadim Sadek
C for Compassion: Puja Mahajan in conversation with Dr. Kiran Ahuja

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Rasas and Divinity: Sohini Roychowdhury with Dr. Alka Pande
Marathi Book Launch: Monica Cantieni in conversation with Dr. Sunanda Mahajan

5:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Unraveling the Mystery: Kamal N. Seetha, Shailaja Menon, & Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani
Aroma Magic: Blossom Kochhar with Sohini Roychowdhury

6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Yours Truly, Sameer Anjaan: Shuja Ali chats with Sameer
A Yogic Approach to Stress: Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani