Insights, performances and passion light up Banaras Literature Festival

The fourth edition of the Banaras Literature Festival gave the partakers some thought-provoking moments, performances to appreciate, and laurels to be applauded. The festival had the participation of noted litterateurs, artists and sportspersons, making the event more panoramic, culturally.

Actors Anupam Kher and Tisca Chopra shared some interesting episodes from their journey as artists, giving some delightful insights to the audience who thronged to listen to them.

Talking on the larger frame of cinema, a session on small-budget films but with a greater impact brought forth several interesting aspects. Actor MM Faruqui, better known as Liliput, stated, “In the current scenario, it is the content that is more important than the budget of a film.

What is innovative in the film or the message it is giving matters more. However, it depends on the filmmaker how much budget they require to put across their message.

We are not living in the age of directors like K Asif, who used real diamonds in his film, hum logon ko to nakli heeron se kam chalana parta hai, humare logon ke hisab se to zyada budget kabhi raha nahi kyonki hume to kabhi zyada payment kiya nahi,” he said tongue-in-cheek.

Prominent sportsperson Pullela Gopichand, during a discussion on The Sacred Body: Sports, Discipline and Healthy Living, stressed on both body and soul for longevity. “Health of body and mind is equally important. There are lots of youngsters in the audience I want to tell them that our parents or in some cases even our grandparents are fitter than us What has happened in the last thirty years we as a nation has grown alphabetically or mathematically but we as a nation has gone down phyisically, If crawling, walking, running, throwing and jumping was taken as physical literacy we have gone down as a nation.

. This is very reflective in our health.”

Ace footballer Baichung Bhutia, while addressing an interactive session, stated, “If you come from North –East two things are really popular, football and music. So coming from that region, football was the most played sport. I was fortunate to be among the first batch that was sponsored by the government for SAI. My family was also very supportive of my interest in football.

. He also gave several tips for wannabe sportspersons.

Some musical performances also kept the delegates and audience engaged. Writer and actor

Piyush Mishra

, along with his band, kept everyone regaled. “ I have a very old and beautiful connection with Banaras, as our film Gangs of Wasseypur was shot here. He rendered several hummable songs like Woh Suhane Din dedicating to the times when communication was really strong, though there were no mobile phones. The audience went into a frenzy as he sang Ek Bagal Mein Chand Hoga. The crowds cheered as he rendered the song Aarambh from the film Gulal on their request.

The painting and photography gallery of the Banaras Literature Festival also remained buzzing with activity as works of artists from several countries were showcased.