Mumbai finally seems to have got its own Literature festival. With the blessings of Times of India and a few well respected journalists - namely Anil Dharkar, the Festival Director, it seems to be off to a start this November. I attended Day 1 of the festival and got a feel for it. From what i saw, there were certain things lacking and there were certain compensations.
The compensation came in the form of veteran journalist / author BG Verghese. To hear the doyen of Indian journalism hold forth with an audience for over an hour and a half, keeping us spell bound with his stories, was indeed an honour and a pleasure. Unfortunately the audience had mostly students taking notes which was good for them, but a big loss for the rest of Mumbai who was not there to listen to this learned man.
In terms of the turn offs, the festival was housed in an enclosed space like NCPA's Tata Theatre and the place had more of a seminar feel to it than a 'festival'. Probably a festival needs to be held in a more open venue where there may be grounds to walk and mingle in between sessions. Maybe Lavasa on Day 4 gave the openness that was missing, but then Lavasa is not Mumbai - at least not yet. The absence of food and drink at the venue made it a little more difficult to stay there the whole day and still survive. But that is the intention i had gone with, as i think many festival goers do - they plan to stay there for at least 2 or more sessions and invariably need sustenance.
But, i guess, the biggest issue for me was with security. At the very gate i got looked up and down and was asked what i wanted. I looked quite stunned as i did not expect that. Specially since the registration desk was inside the building. How could i possibly produce a pass or an invitation when i was barely off the street. I think back to Jaipur and the reasons for the success of that festival. It truly is a 'friendly festival.' Everyone is greeted warmly, no matter who you are and whether you are attending for the first time or have become a regular. There is NO security of the annoying uniformed, so-called professional kind, that one finds in certain high profile malls and offices. The sessions are controlled by warm and friendly volunteers who know what needs to be done. AND, there is no reservation of seats whatsoever. Democracy to me is an integral part of a festival experience. If it is a festival where the general public is indeed welcome, every deed, word and action of the organisers should denote that. In this festival, for Anupan Kher's show-stopper performance, the first 10-15 rows - i don't know exactly because i did not count - but it was a large, most prime section of the auditorium, was off limits for aam junta. That kind of makes you, the reader, the person who has dutifully sat thru the last 3 sessions from 12 noon onwards, the lover of words and books and the loyal, intrepid festival goer, feel unwanted. i guess that is not the feeling a festival wants to encourage in it's first year of inception or ever thereafter. At Amitabh Bachchan's session in Jaipur 2 years ago, there was NO security or reservation of seats at the venue. There was a ring thrown around the superstar when he arrived - but i'm sure those were his own arrangements and serves his own needs for when he is around the public.
And it is not only to another literary festival that i compare. Take another example of a school in Mumbai. This morning i went to a TEDx event (independently organized TED event) at my children's school. The speakers were erudite and accomplished, as all TED speakers are and the audience was waiting to hear them. The chairs had been arranged in a large school auditorium that doubles up as a gym, exhibition space and whatnot. There were at least 30 rows of chairs lined up in front of the stage. But wait. The students sat in FRONT. After all they were the priority at such an event. The parents were seated in the rows behind the students. there were plenty of interested parents who came for a chance to listen to the talks, but they were happy to be seated where they were. There were clearly written signs stuck to both the corners of each row. They either said 'Middle School Students', or 'High School Students' or 'Parents'. In five minutes everyone had filed into the auditorium and taken their appropriate seats. There were hardly any teachers even supervising. School officially begins at 8am and the TEDx session, so beautifully pre-arranged, was in session at 8.14. Now to me that is a commendable, democratic, well-executed event. There was the right priority given to the participants, things were pre-planned as someone had taken the trouble to print out dozens of labels and stick them on appropriate rows. It was timely and efficient. It was not rocket science either.
I am sure the Mumbai festival will make up in the coming years for these shortcomings with an even more stellar line-up of authors and performers. However, it will firmly establish itself in the hearts and mind of festival lovers if it were to focus on a few of these issues as well.
Comments