Showcasing women power

The fourth edition of LIC Gateway LitFest kicked off on Thursday in Mumbai and went on till February 24. Representing a true slice of women power in contemporary Indian literature, the organisers (Mumbai-based Malayalam publication "Kaakka" and leading communication consultancy Passion4communication) of the festival ensured that the lit fest was a treat for booklovers. 

Apart from award-winning writers, the key attractions were Nalini Jameela, who was a sex worker for long and launched herself into the world of letters with her autobiography; and Baby Haldar, who worked as a domestic help before she started writing her best-selling autobiography.

Pradnya Daya Pawar, a leading Dalit-feminist poet also spoke during the sessions at the literature festival. Well-known authors writing in Assamese, Ahirani, Bengali, Bhojpuri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Khasi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Kosali, Malayalam, Marathi, Manipuri, Mythili, Odiya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Telugu, Kannada and Tamil attended the three-day literary jamboree. The long list of writers who attended includes famed filmmaker Aparna Sen (Bengali), Shobhaa De (English), Anju Makhija (English), and Devika J. (Malayalam), among others.