Throughout these three exciting days
We’ve learnt in many different ways.
Gulzar & Pavan Varma played a part
In giving us a glorious start.
They were lyrical and articulate
The packed audience found it great!
Many poets we could greet and meet
For me this was a special treat!
AI is now gaining traction.
Is there need for special action?
The thrust and parry of the debate
Was very exciting, I must state.
Will AI be the terminator
Or an exhilarating illuminator?
For dangerous outcomes, there is scope
But we ended on a note of hope.
The Little Fest is a delightful sight
With growing minds glowing bright.
And Ava Davar truly impressed.
The previous night she seemed slightly stressed.
But Furrukh Dhondy’s fame and age
Were nothing to this young sage!
She showed she had a steady will.
She questioned him with thoughtful skill.
And this played a major part
In unravelling the writer’s art.
I’m sure young minds are now on fire
The Little Fest should inspire
All of them to both read and write
That would be a glorious sight!
A book is a perfect friend for sure.
For many ills it provides a cure.
Books on their own will endure
But with LitLive we see much more!
We see the face and what’s behind.
Unknown treasures, we quickly find.
The interlocutor’s clever choice
Is heard in the author’s voice.
We here the words, here and now
We also learn the why and how.
The lines begin to sing and dance
And then we get one more chance
To drink it in with diferent voices.
Leaving us with many choices,
To see it from a different view
And interpret it all anew
There’s food and drink as well as talk.
Camaraderie when we walk.
In fact there is so much to do.
I wished that I could split in two!
But then I would have said much more
And Alas! We can be sure
That as I turned the second page
I would be driven off the stage!
Parsi’s numbers are rather small
But the organiser’s took the call
To put two such authors on the stage.
They proved to be quite the rage.
Yes it’s true, do not scoff
Furrukh Dhondy and Murzban Shroff!
Bombay, Poona and to and fro
Tales of two cities, here we go.
What the Dickens! Don’t you know
Maharashtra too can add to the flow!
Then we went on to Pico Iyer
You could say he was on fire
Not of course a raging flame,
A calming warmth all the same!
From the searching questions one could tell
Shoba Dé prepared so well.
And all of us could quickly see
Pico lived with serenity.
A successful journalist with Time
He suddenly turned on a dime.
He chose to live a monk’s life.
But in a temple he found a wife!
In Japan he couldn’t assimilate
But he chose to integrate.
As Pico didn’t commute to work
They thought that he meant to shirk!
This Gaijin was called a parasite.
But he was amused by his plight.
Any sorrow can turn to glory
When used to write a great story.
There is a lesson we can learn
There’s pressure to succeed or earn
And then again in an accepted fashion
Without following your inner passion.
Pico listened to his inner voice
And made a calculated choice!
Look how happy he became.
Can all of us do the same?
We should try and understand
It’s not either or, it could be and.
While following accepted fashion
Experiment with your passion.
Then slowly make a transition
Until you fulfill your mission!
Akhil Gupta said much the same
He had similar advice for life’s game
It’s not about slogging and earning.
It’s about Love, Fun and Learning.
We did all three in different ways
Throughout these three perfect days.
And as for the religious divide
Akhil says, “Why take a side?”
Instead we should clearly see
The many points of commonality
Which come from our humanity.
And that’s the road to sanity.
Let us learn to avoid all strife
And strive to lead a better life.
William Dalrymple’s new book
Takes a very interesting look
At India’s contribution to the world
Many philosophies were unfurled.
They spread to both East and West.
Hinduism, Buddhism as well as Maths
Went by many different paths.
But to my mind the greatest hero
Was the simple concept we call zero.
Thus India helped to pave the way
For the sciences that we know today.
Much knowledge was quickly gained
As we were informed and entertained!
Jane Goodall also showed the way
In Nature’s lap let us play.
Nature’s something to enjoy.
Not something to destroy
And endure unending pain
Let us protect her and gain!
Our heartfelt thanks to Amy, Q
Meher and the entire LitLive crew.
Their steady hand and perfect grip
Ensured us all a joyful trip!
They deserve our ardent cheers!
For all their work over fifteen years.
If all of us go the full length
LitLive will grow from strength to strength!
