Lit for Life Dialogue 2025: Bengaluru celebrates literature, art and cinema

Lit for Life Dialogue 2025 in Bengaluru featured engaging conversations with authors, artists, and filmmakers, offering a glimpse into creativity.

It was an evening of insightful conversations and stimulating exchange of ideas at the Lit for Life Dialogue 2025, which witnessed a packed auditorium at Christ (Deemed to be University), in Bengaluru on December 20, 2024.  

A prelude to The Hindu’s Lit for Life 2025 literature festival, Dialogues are being held for the first time ever in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as a teaser to the main event in Chennai on January 19 & 20, 2025.  

The Bengaluru Dialogue was flagged off with a video message by Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson of The Hindu Group of publications and Founder & Chair of The Hindu Lit for Life. “It’s an exciting chapter for us as we build on our relationship with the people of the city [Bengaluru], bringing distinguished writers, creative thinkers, and inspiring intellectuals to interact with an engaged audience.”  

The evening began with acclaimed author Anita Nair and speaking to Jayapriya Vasudevan about her new book, Hot Stage. The book is the third in her crime fiction series on Bangalore detective Borei Gowda set in the Garden City. “He emerged in my mind riding a bullet,” the author said speaking of the protagonist. 

Recalling moving to the city in 1989 and witnessing its growth over the years, Ms. Nair said the books are “an exploration of Bengaluru through Gowda, an epitome of the city and how it has changed.” Reading excerpts from her book, she spoke of how noir is not about crime committed and crime solved but also social commentary.    

Writer and art curator Ina Puri’s conversation with ceramic sculptor G Regu was a meditation on art and its practice. Dwelling on his humble beginnings in Kerala’s Kilimanoor  town, Mr. Regu spoke of how his formative days and his interactions with the people of rural Kerala bled into his art.  

“Every artist has a specific identity they lend to their work. My themes revolve around rural life,” he said.