12th Khushwant Singh litfest From Oct 13

Talking to The Indian Express, Rahul Singh, son of Khushwant Singh, said, “This year’s literary festival is based on the theme of Mahatma Gandhi’s famous saying. Gandhi ji was a big inspiration for my father, who always looked up to him. We have an interesting line-up of around 40 speakers. They include former tennis player Jaideep Mukherjee, bureaucrat-turned-politician Mani Shankar Aiyar, veteran TV journalist and author Barkha Dutt, and actor and TV host Kubbra Sait”.

Also attending the vent will be actor Anup Soni, actor-turned Congress leader Raj Babbar, and author and BJP MP Varun Gandhi. Songs by Sufi singer Sonam Kalra to a musical evening ‘Dil se’ by Minu Bakshi will be an added attraction.

Niloufer Billimoria, one of the festival directors, said, “The festival will open on Friday at 9 am and close on Sunday at 5 pm. Visitors can register themselves at the main entrance gate of Kasauli Club. While Club members will have free entry, all others will have to pay the club guest fee. The Solan administration and the traffic police department have been informed about the festival”.

Rajat Sood, the event coordinator, said, “The preparations are going on in full swing. We would be running our own taxis to bring in the authors and dignitaries from Chandigarh airport to Kasauli. Hotels have already been booked. Various stalls, including waste warriors and ‘X’quisite lace linen, would be put up during the three-day lit fest.”

The event is a big boost for hospitality industry in Kasauli — hotels are running on 100 per cent capacity.

Talking to The Indian Express, Rajender Chopra, president of the Kasauli Hotel Welfare Association, said, “The literary festival sees attendance of a large number of celebrities and famous personalities. Tourists also throng the place during the event. Not just hotels but various tourism-based businesses are benefited due to such events. We want more of such festivals in Kasauli.”