Parul University’s Vadodara Literature Festival showcases the art and culture of words
The University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts organises the festival to celebrate culture and literature
India, 22nd May 2023: The Vadodara-based Parul University has been shaping the young minds of its students along with that of literature enthusiasts from across the city and state. The concluding day of the Vadodara Literature Festival was no different, bringing with it a hive activity packed with insightful thoughts and perspectives from the thought leaders of our time. As the key speakers of this edition of the festival, the speakers on the platform included prominent figures such as Durjoy Datta, Tahira Kashyap, Chef Suvir Saran, and Chef. Charmaine O’bhrien, Anuj Tiwari among others. The speakers at the platform explored topics such as Food and Fitness, Promoting Environmental Stewardship, The Art of Storytelling, Indian History and Mythology and many other key areas.
The University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts organises the festival to celebrate culture and literature. Durjoy Datta, a young and successful author, has won many awards and written best-selling novels such as Someone Like You, The Perfect Us, Hold My Hand, Till the Last Breath, Of Course, I Love You, The Boy Who Loved, and A Touch of Eternity. He has also co-authored books with other famous writers and has been a TEDx speaker and conference host. Tahira Kashyap, a former professor of mass communication and a director of films such as Toffee, Zindagi inShort, and Sharmaji ki Beti, has written several books such as I Promise, Souled Out, Cracking the Code, The Commandments of Being a Woman - which talks about her fight with breast cancer, and The Sins of Being a mother. She also raises awareness about breast cancer across the country. The speakers shared their insights and perspectives on various topics with the audience.
Tahira Kashyap, an author, producer and director, spoke about her film career, her challenges and her books at the Vadodara Literature Festival. She also urged the audience to break gender stereotypes and said, “Empathy and compassion are the biggest tools we can have. For peace to prevail, we need to tune the audience to break gender stereotypes.” She praised the organizers for hosting the festival and said it should happen more often. Durjoy Dutta, a popular romance novelist, discussed love and romance in literature. He said, “Love is something we choose to believe in. It is not static or past. It changes with time and people.” He also talked about the modern-day relationships and how they influence literature. He answered the questions from the audience candidly.
The students were delighted to meet Chef Suvir Saran, a Michelin Star Chef who specializes in Indian cuisine. He has written several best-selling cookbooks such as Masala Farm, American Masala, and Indian Home Cooking. His books have been among the top cookbooks in the world. He is also the Chairman of Asian Culinary Studies for the Culinary Institute of America, a life coach, a TEDx speaker and a columnist at Indian Express. He shared his journey and his love for cooking at the VLF. He said, “I found solace in the kitchen, a place where I wasn’t judged. I saw people from different religions and backgrounds eating together, united by my food. My food brought them together at the table.”
Among the prominent speakers, the panellists also included personalities from diversified backgrounds, from the armed forces, police services, journalism and media, such as Lt. Gen Satish Dua Former General Officer of the Indian Army, Archana Doshi, Chef, Charmaine O’bhrien, Culinary Historian, Rachna Bisht Rawat, Journalist, Tuhin Sinha, Newspaper Columnist, Probal Dasgupta, Senior Business Leader, Khalid Jawed, Novelist, Ansuman Bhagat, Best-selling Writer, Anuj Tiwari, TEDx Speaker, Anamika Mishra, Motivational Speaker, Ajay Pandey, author, Ashok Kumar, 11th Director General of Uttarakhand Police, Capt. (hon) Yogendra Singh Yadav PVC, Retired Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army Neeraj Kumar, Former Commissioner of Delhi Police, Lucky Bisht, Former NSG Commando & Spy, Aakash Ranison, Climate Change Activist, Ranjit Rae, Indian Diplomat, Rasheed Kidwai, Political Analyst.
To know more visit https://paruluniversity.ac.in/
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