HLF 2025 – The 15th edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival began on January 24 at Sattva Knowledge City, with the Governor of Telangana, Jishnu Dev Varma, inaugurating the event. In his address, the Governor emphasized the importance of literary festivals in fostering cultural exchange and preserving heritage. Day 1 attracted literary and cultural enthusiasts from across the city to engage in sessions that showcased a vibrant confluence of literature, art, cinema, and innovation, featuring renowned authors, filmmakers, scholars, and performers from India and abroad.
The inaugural plenary session was a captivating conversation titled “A Life in Cinema” between Shabana Azmi and the festival director, Amita Desai.
Azmi in her session spoke about the portrayal of women in today’s cinema. She commented on reducing women to an item number catering to the male gaze. She shared her memories of working with filmmaker Late Shyam Benegal.
Another insightful panel, “Fragmented Selves: Sindhi Language, Literature, and History”, featured Nandita Bhavnani and Rita Kothari, with Soni Wadhwa moderating the discussion on the complexities of Sindhi identity and its rich literary heritage.
A session on Hyderabad history and author Moupia Basu’s book Bhagmati: Why Hyderabad’s Lost Queen is the Soul of the City engaged the audience with historical facts about the city.
Read More: HLF 2025 Art & Photography Exhibitions
The day also included a compelling session with Bollywood actress Huma Qureshi where Qureshi spoke about her debut book, “Zeba: An Accidental Superhero.” She highlighted the gender stereotypes and dominance of male superheroes. “Whenever women fight, it is stereotyped as a catfight, but when men fight, nobody calls it a dogfight.” she said during her conversation with festival director Kinnera Murthy.
A plenary session titled “Viewfinder: A Memoir” featured Amol Palekar and Sandhya Gohale in conversation with Mohana Krishna Indaganti.
Meanwhile, the performance “Poorab Mat Jaiyo: Songs of Migration and Exile” by Vidya Rao, accompanied by Shanti Bhushan Jha and Rahul Deshpande, transported audiences with the soulful sounds of thumri, echoing themes of migration and exile.
This year’s country in focus was Lithuania, which featured an exciting exhibition titled “Vilnius: Historical Photographs.” The historical photographs for this exhibition were curated by the National Museum of Lithuania, which boasts an impressive collection of images of Vilnius.
The cultural offerings were equally vibrant. The evening featured the stunning performance “Urmila” by Adishakti, taking audiences on a journey through traditional storytelling and dance. An interlude included a Kathak performance exploring communal harmony and gender equality, performed by queer artists Barkha Patel, Tanveer Alam, and Vaibhav Kumar Modi.
Throughout the day, attendees could participate in immersive and interactive workshops and sessions on poetry and languages at Kaavya Dhaara, as well as on Indigenous and Endangered Languages. A particularly engaging session titled “Seeking the Sacred” featured Arundhathi Subramanium in conversation with Sridala Swami.
Climate Conversations explored the intricate relationship between humans and nature, with sessions like “Journeying with India and the Natural World” featuring speakers Bittu Sahgal and Asad Rahmani.
HLF 2025 Day 1 – Gallery
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