The Khushwant Singh Literary Festival is held annually in Kasauli in October. Organised by the Khushwant Singh Foundation, It promotes the legacy of author, scholar, journalist and iconoclast Khushwant Singh by discussing the values for which he stood. The festival, launched in 2012, raises awareness around causes in which he believed. These include equal opportunities for women, Indo-Pakistan friendship and the preservation of ecology. Profits from the event are ploughed back into initiatives that work for the betterment of the ecology and the education of the girl child.
Fareed Zakaria, Pavan K. Varma, Pico Iyer, Sudha Murthy and Vikram Seth are a few of the writers who have been part of the festival. Every instalment of the festival has had sessions on ecology, and has thus far featured speakers such as Amitav Ghosh, Bittu Sahgal, Erling Kagge, Jairam Ramesh and Jono Lineen.
An off-shoot of the festival was started in London in 2019. It takes place in the spring of each year and has featured the likes of Imtiaz Dharker, Jane Goodall, Meghnad Desai, Mihir Bose and Shrabani Basu.
While Kasauli is where Singh had a home and did a great deal of his writing, London is where he worked and studied. The city shaped many of his passions and concerns. Both the Kasauli and London editions of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival were held online in 2020 and 2021.
The festival returned to its in-person format in 2022. Speakers who participated at the last edition of the festival include Amitav Ghosh, Bachi Karkaria, Cyrus Broacha, Divya Dutta, Geetanjali Shree, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Mallika Sarabhai, Muzaffar Ali, Parvati Sharma, Pavan Varma, Rajmohan Gandhi, Shaili Chopra and Usha Uthup among others.
Read about other literature festivals here.
How to Reach Kasauli
1. By Air: The nearest airport to Kasauli is the Chandigarh Airport (70 km away).
2. By Rail: Located at a distance of 40 km, the Kalka Railway Station is the nearest railway station to Kasauli.
3. By Road: Kasauli enjoys excellent road accessibility from all the major cities of India and Himachal Pradesh.
Source: TourMyIndia
1. Layers & Woolens: October evenings in the hills can get chilly, so pack a light jacket, shawl, or hoodie to keep warm once the sun goes down.
2. Reusable Water Bottle: If the festival has refillable water stations, carry a sturdy bottle so you stay hydrated without adding to plastic waste.
3. All-Terrain Footwear: Days are best navigated in comfy sneakers, but if rain is in the forecast, waterproof boots will be your best friend. Make sure they’re broken in to avoid discomfort.
4. Carry your favourite stationery to take meticulous notes or just pen down your thoughts.
5. Be prepared for the twists and turns of hilly roads with some motion sickness medication to prevent a medical mishap.
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