Lucknow: The Koshala Literature Festival 2025 continued to dazzle audiences with a richly curated lineup of eight sessions that celebrated cinema, culinary heritage, performing arts, literary scholarship, cultural preservation, and the power of human resilience. With each session offering a unique thematic lens, Day 2 and Day 3 unfolded as a deep dive into India’s artistic and intellectual traditions.
Session 1: Muzaffar Ali Revisits Umrao Jaan as a ‘Trans-Generational Phenomenon’
The day opened with a tribute to one of India’s most iconic films in “Celebrating Umrao Jaan,” featuring filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, Meera Ali, and art historian Alka Pande, in conversation with Nishtha Gautam.
As the 1981 classic prepares for its 2025 re-release, Muzaffar Ali described the film as “murassa kaam”—a piece of intricately crafted art that continues to reveal new layers to new generations. Speaking of Umrao as a daughter-figure, he emphasized the empathy that shaped her portrayal.
Meera Ali highlighted the film’s revolutionary centering of a woman’s emotional world, while Alka Pande situated its sensuality within the classical aesthetic of Shringar Rasa.
Gautam concluded the session by stating that the film continues to open “new doors of ishq” four decades after its debut.
Session 2: Lucknow’s Mithai Heritage Takes Global Spotlight
The festival’s culinary heritage session, “Mithas Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi,” saw industry leaders—including Srajal Gupta (Madhurima), Ravindra Vaish (Gayatri Misthan), and Manish Gupta (Shri Gokul Prasad Halwai)—discuss Lucknow’s evolving sweets culture.
Moderator Arshana Azmat linked the conversation to Lucknow’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy recognition.
Panelists addressed the contested origins of Malai Makhan, reaffirming Lucknow’s claim while also discussing challenges posed by social media food criticism. They stressed the importance of protecting secret recipes, reviving forgotten delicacies like masoor ki mithai and chhene ka pulao, and acknowledged that while AI may assist the industry, it cannot replicate the human artistry behind traditional mithai-making.
Session 3: ‘The Sound Tales’ Brings Together Music, Dance & Folk Traditions
A vibrant, performance-rich conversation unfolded in the session “The Sound Tales,” moderated by RJ Prateek and featuring Dr. Ranjana Dwivedi, Jaya Tiwari, Nimisha, Anuj Mishra, and Lokesh.
The dialogue explored the push and pull between traditional forms and contemporary expression.
Highlights included Anuj Mishra’s deeply moving Kathak performance inspired by Pt. Birju Maharaj, Nimisha’s plea to revive fading folk wedding songs, and Lokesh’s critique of vulgarity in modern Bhojpuri music, culminating in his evocative tribute to Bhikhari Thakur.
The session emerged as a celebration of India’s living artistic soul.
Session 4: Book Piracy Exposed as Publishing Industry’s Biggest Threat
A hard-hitting discussion on piracy, “Stolen Words: The Hidden Cost of India’s Reading Culture,” brought together publishers Arun Maheshwari, Chander Prakash, and Jayant Krishna, moderated by Jigyasa Mishra.
Maheshwari revealed how delays in judicial processes weaken anti-piracy efforts, while Krishna estimated that 30–40% of books in circulation are pirated.
The panel called for a National Anti-Piracy Task Force, fast-track IPR tribunals, increased regional distribution, and public awareness campaigns.
Prakash warned that diminishing bookshops would erode India’s cultural fabric, stating, “If bookshops disappear, culture will soon become agriculture.”
Session 5: “Ghat Rahi Hai Roz Meri Chehergi” Explores Language, Memory & Poetic Craft
The literary session featuring Chandra Shekhar Verma, moderated by Divya Bharadwaj Bhattacharya, offered intimate reflections on his new Urdu ghazal collection of the same title.
Verma stressed that a poet must be deeply connected to society and nature and that biographies should blend fact and fiction for emotional depth.
He reiterated that poetry must resonate beyond personal experience and echo collective human emotion, continuing his family’s literary legacy.
Session 6: Spanish Scholar Reinterprets A.K. Ramanujan for a Global Audience
In “When Mirrors Are Windows,” Spanish scholar Guillermo Rodriguez explored the cross-cultural significance of A.K. Ramanujan’s writings.
Moderated by Ranu Uniyal, the session traced Ramanujan’s role in shifting Western literary scholarship toward Dravidian traditions and Sangam poetry.
Rodriguez criticized the rising trend of “Data-ism” in academia and advocated for fieldwork-based research.
He announced his next project comparing Spanish mystics such as St. Teresa of Avila with Indian Bhakti poets—earning a standing ovation.
Session 7: Rajit Kapur on Cinema, Society & Shyam Benegal’s Enduring Influence
Actor Rajit Kapur, speaking with Prof. Nishi Pandey in the session “Chalchitra aur Samaaj,” reflected on cinema’s social responsibility and his collaborations with filmmaker Shyam Benegal.
Kapur praised Bengali cinema for its progressive portrayal of women and discussed the lasting appeal of Byomkesh Bakshi.
He commended the precise screenplay of Raazi and described playing Gandhi as his most demanding role.
Kapur also expressed concern about how cinema can perpetuate harmful social cycles if not treated responsibly, while applauding Lucknow’s creative spirit.
Session 8: “From Rainstorms to Rainbows” Illuminates the Power of Resilience
The final session featured author and resilience coach Neena Verma in conversation with Nishi Pandey.
Drawing from her book RISE: The Deep Resilience Way, Verma underlined that resilience is not resistance but the ability to rise after emotional storms.
She encouraged audiences to view adversity as a pathway to renewal, emphasizing courage, sensitivity, and self-awareness as the foundations of healing.
The session closed on an uplifting message of hope and emotional clarity.
The Koshala Literature Festival 2025, through this rich sequence of sessions, reaffirmed its role as a premier cultural platform where art, literature, heritage, cinema, scholarship, and human stories converge—celebrating both tradition and transformation.
