Bengaluru, September 11, 2025: The Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (DLHS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru Campus, an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, is set to host the highly anticipated “alèy Literature Festival 2025” themed “Waves of Solidarity” on September 18-19, 2025, at MAHE Bengaluru campus. This flagship literary initiative aims to celebrate the transformative power of storytelling in fostering community, celebrating diversity, and amplifying significant voices.
The festival brings together distinguished authors, translators, publishers, and literary enthusiasts to create a comprehensive platform for cross-cultural dialogue and creative expression. This year’s theme, “Waves of Solidarity,” emphasizes literature’s unique ability to bridge communities and strengthen understanding among people of diverse backgrounds.
The festival will be inaugurated with a keynote address by Banu Mushtaq, the 2025 International Booker Prize winner, setting the tone for two days of enriching literary discourse. The program features masterclasses by acclaimed literary figures, including S. Joseph on the subjectivity of poetry writing and V. Geetha on reading Babasaheb for contemporary times.
A series of engaging panel discussions will explore critical areas of contemporary literature. The session “Women Publish Women: Waves of Feminist Publishing” featuring Arpita Das and V. Geetha will examine the evolving landscape of feminist literary publishing. “Big Little Stories: Navigating Complexity in Children’s Literature” with Menaka Raman and Sharanya Manivannan will delve into the nuanced world of children’s storytelling.
The festival addresses the vital role of literary translation in today’s globalized world through “Bridging the World with Words: Literary Translation Today” featuring Srinath Perur and Rahul Soni. Additionally, “Spaces of Solidarity: Reading in the City” will bring together community reading advocates Athul T (Cubbon Reads), Rajassekar (Sollazhi), and Lalitha Murugesan (Lalitha’s Book Nook) to discuss the emerging trend of reading in public spaces and its role in urban community building.
A major highlight of the festival will be a book talk with renowned author Perumal Murugan discussing his work Students Etched in Memory with Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta, IAS, providing intimate insights into the lives of his rural students and the need for literature to shed light on marginalized lives.
The festival features compelling performances including the play “We Push the Sky” by Qabila Collective and an interactive Theatre of the Oppressed session “Listen-Connect-Amplify!” conducted by Radha Ramaswamy, demonstrating the power of the spoken word and performing arts to effect social change.
Educational components include a fiction writing workshop “Hatch a Plot!” led by author Neelima Vinod, specifically designed for school children to nurture young creative talents. The festival also hosts a vibrant array of competitions for students across school, college, and university levels, including Quiz, Stand-up Comedy, Cosplay, Slam Poetry, and Book Cover Designing, held both online and offline.
alèy Literature Festival 2025 reinforces MAHE Bengaluru’s commitment to fostering literary culture and cross-cultural understanding beyond traditional academic boundaries. By bringing together established authors, emerging voices, publishers, translators, and literary enthusiasts, the festival creates an unprecedented opportunity for meaningful dialogue about literature’s role in building solidarity and celebrating diversity in contemporary society.
The festival’s comprehensive approach encompasses various literary forms and expressions, from poetry and fiction to translation and performance, making it a celebration of literature’s boundless potential to connect communities and address the challenges of our times.