Book launches and book cover reveal at Times Litfest 2023

After a brief-hiatus of two-years, the much-awaited Times Literature Festival 2023 was in New Delhi recently. The two-day festival was held at Siri Fort Auditorium on February 11 and 12. Here we list down all the exciting book launches and book cover reveals that happened at the festival.

Photo: Canva

Author-screenwriter Satyarth Nayak’s latest mythology book ‘Mahagatha’ was launched at the Times Litfest 2023 by bestselling Indian author Ashwin Sanghi, TLF Director Vinita Dawra Nangia, Ridhima Kumar- Commissioning Editor at HarperCollins India along with the author on February 11, 2023. After launching the book, Sanghi not only congratulated but also praised the author for his work. “Satyarth’s initial book got me hooked for two days. So if ‘Mahagatha’ is anywhere as gripping as that, I would urge each one of you to not only pick up this one, but also pick up his previous titles. He is truly a phenominal storyteller,” Sanghi said. ‘Mahagatha: 100 Tales from the Puranas’, as the title suggests, is a collection of 100 mythological stories from the Puranas, put together in a chronological format that begins in the Satya Yuga and ends in the Kali Yuga.

Popular children’s author and National Award winning voice over professional, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan’s new book ‘A Treasure Trove of Timeless Tales’ was published by Westland Books in October 2022. The book’s Delhi launch was organised at the Times Litfest Delhi on February 12. Seen at th book launch were authors Jaishree Misra, Bulbul Sharma along with Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan. This was followed by engaging discussion with authors Srinivasan and Sharma, moderation by Misra on the topic ‘How to raise a reader’.

Photo: Westland Books/ Twitter

Popular Indian author Kiran Manral’s new book ‘All Those Who Wander’ is a mix of science fiction and psychological thriller. The story follows Ana– who seems to be in a different age, every time the reader meets her. This is “a tangled tale of looped time and non-sequential lives, of guilt and repercussions,” reads the book’s blurb. ‘All Those Who Wander’ was officially launched by author Tanuj Solanki, Rashmi Menon- Editor at Manjul Publishing, Vinita Dawra Nangia- Director of Times Litfest, Harshali Singh, Satyarth Nayak along with Manral on February 12. The book launch was followed by the session ‘Twisty Tales: Dark Fiction and Mind Games’, wherein Manral was a panelist and she discussed her new book. While authors Tanuj Solanki, Harshali Singh, and Kiran Manral were the panelist, the session was moderated by Satyarth Nayak.

Journalist-author Priyanka Sinha Jha’s new book ‘Folktales from Bollywood’ is a collection of 10 stories that are inspired by Bollywood lives. The book was launched by Vinita Dawra Nangia, Director- Times Litfest; scriptwriter Juhi Chaturvedi; Ajay Mago, Publisher- Om Books International; journalist-author Yasser Usman; along with the author on February 12. The book launch was followed by an engaging discussion about ‘Stories inspired by Bollywood lives’ wherein Priyanka and Juhi shared their viewpoints and experiences, and Yasser moderated the session.

Photo: TOI Books/ Twitter

“Written by the poet Thiruvalluvar, the ‘Kamattu-p-pal’ is the third part of the ‘Tirukkural’ – one of the most important texts in Tamil literature. The most intimate section of this great work – it is also, historically, the part that has been most heavily censored. Although hundreds of male translations of the text have been published, it has also only ever been translated by a woman once before,” reads the book’s blurb. ‘Tirukkuṟaḷ-The Book of Desire’ is activist-author Meenna Kandasamy’s feminist translation of the ‘Kamattu-p-pal’ in English. Aptly, the book was launched just before the session ‘Sex and Unspoken Desire’. Seen at the launch were (L-R) Leeza Mangaldas, Meena Kandasamy, festival Director- Vinita Dawra Nangia, Mansi Subramanian- Publisher at Penguin India, Dr Tanaya Narendra, and Kiran Manral on the evening of February 11.

Psychologist-author Sneha Shah’s debut book ‘What Shape Are You?’ is a guide for people to understand themselves and people around them better. The book was launched at Times Litfest 2023 by Sneha, her husband Shashank Shah, author-nutritionist Manjari Chandra, and Karthika VK, Publisher- Westland. The book launch was followed by the session ‘Shape of you: Mind, body and soul’ with speakers Sneha Shah and Manjari Chandra in conversation with TOI online Lifestyle editor Kalpana Sharma.

Did you know that iconic Hindi writer, Premchand’s grand-daughter Sara Rai is also an author and translator? In her new memoir ‘Raw Umber’, Sara Rai writes about her childhood days, her journey as a writer and the legacy and literary heritage that she a part of. Published by Westland, ‘Raw Umber’ was released in January 2023 and launched on February 12, 2023 at the Times Litfest. The book launch was done by Vinita Dawra Nangia, Director- TLF, author Sara Rai, and Karthika VK, Publisher- Westland. The book launch was followed by an interesting conversation between the author and Times Food editor Smita Mishra.

Photo: Times Litfest Delhi/ Twitter

Popular children’s author Khyrunnisa A’s new book for readers of all age-groups, ‘Chuckle Merry Spin: Us In the US’ was published by Westland in 2022 end. The Delhi launch of Khyrunnisa’s new book was organised at Times Litfest 2023. The book was launched by Padma Shree-author Rachel Thomas, author Khyrunnisa, and the festival Director Vinita Dawra Nangia on February 12, 2023 at TLF Delhi. The book launch was followed by and interesting session titled ‘Why I write, what I write’ with authors Rachel Thomas, Khyrunnisa A, and Kevin Missal.

Rachel Thomas was awarded the prestigious Padma Shree for being India’s first woman skydiver. And now, she has shared her inspiring story in her own words in her memoir ‘Limitless: Autobiography of India’s First Female Skydiver’ which is published by Readomania. The book was launched by the author along with author Khyrunnisa A, and TLF-Director Vinita Dawra Nangia on February 12, 2023 at the litfest. The book launch was followed by and interesting session titled ‘Why I write, what I write’ with Rachel Thomas, Khyrunnisa A, and Kevin Missal.

A secular, sovereign nation, India recently celebrated its 74th Republic Day. And while all Indians are governed by the Constitution, caste remains a sensitive topic even today which often leads to discrimination among people. Touching upon this theme, journalist-author Manoj Mitta’s upcoming book titled ‘Caste Pride: Battles for equality in Hindu India’ is expected to be out in the summer of 2023. Ahead of the book’s publication, the cover of the new book was officially unveiled at the Times Litfest 2023 on February 11. Seen at the book cover unveil were: Abhinav Prakash Singh, Chandra Bhan Prasad, Meena Kandasamy, D Shyam Babu, along with Mitta. The book launch was followed by an important and fiery discussion on the topic ‘Caste: A defining feature of India’ by Abhinav Prakash Singh, Chandra Bhan Prasad, Meena Kandasamy, and Manoj Mitta and it was moderated by D Shyam Babu.