Speakers
Jayanth Kaykini
Jayant Kaikini is a celebrated Kannada poet, short story writer, columnist, and playwright. With seven volumes of short stories, six poetry collections, three plays, and four collections of essays to his credit, he is also a highly regarded and award-winning lyricist, scriptwriter, and dialogue writer in the Kannada film industry. A familiar face on television as well, Kaikini has been honored with numerous prestigious accolades, including four Karnataka Sahitya Academy Awards, the Kusumagraj Rashtriya Bhasha Sahitya Puraskar, the Katha National Award, five Filmfare Awards for Best Lyrics, and two Karnataka State Film Awards for lyrics and script/dialogue. He was also conferred an honorary doctorate by Tumkur University in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Kannada literature and culture.
Shivaprakash Hs
H. S. Shivaprakash is a distinguished poet, playwright, and scholar, celebrated for his wide-ranging contributions to literature and theatre. He has received numerous prestigious honors, including the Sahitya Akademi Award (2013), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1997), four Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Best Book Prizes, and the Karnataka Nataka Akademi Award. Internationally recognized as an expert in both European and Indian theatre, he has written extensively on medieval literature, with a particular focus on Kannada Vachana poetry. His scholarly interests span comparative aesthetics, religion and literature, theatre studies, and the semiotics of translation and adaptation. His work also explores themes such as caste struggles in Indian literature and theatre, socio-spiritual movements in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and the arts and literature of Northeast India.
Jayanth Kaykini
Vivek Shanbhag is one of the foremost storytellers in contemporary Kannada literature. He served as the editor of the acclaimed literary magazine Deshkala for seven years, a platform that reflected his unique narrative sensibility. Known for his nuanced portrayal of both small-town life and universal human experiences, Shanbhag’s work bridges the local and the global with remarkable depth. His novella Ghachar Ghochar, translated into English as Ghachar Ghochar Nilgata, has received widespread international acclaim, with editions published in the UK and the US, and translations into 18 languages—captivating readers around the world.
Damodar Mauzo
Jnanpith awardee, and short story writer, Damodar Mauzo. Mauzo’s notable works include Ganthon 1971, Karmelin 1983, Tsunami Simon 1996, Teresa’s Man and Other Storiesfrom Goa 2014, and The Wait and Other Stories, 2022. Mauzo’s stories are inspired by the everyday life of regular Goan men and women. His voice is fearless and kind, sharp and pervasive. In a career spanning more than sixty years of writing, Mauzo has received numerous literary accolades. His works have been translated into more than fourteen languages. Mauzo was invited to the Hyderabad Literary Festival, (January 27-29), Hyderabad as the Chief Guest. ‘Konkani’ was the Indian language in focus.