The 13th edition of the Delhi Literature Festival (DLF) will begin on May 2 at Bikaner House bringing together a gathering of political leaders, renowned authors, and cultural figures. The three-day festival, themed “Delhi Writes: Voices, Visions and Verses,” will run until May 4, DLF said in a statement. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra S Shekhawat will inaugurate the festival.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Speaker of the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, Cabinet Minister for Culture and Tourism Kapil Mishra, NDMC Chairman Keshav Chandra, and Tim Curtis, Director and Representative of UNESCO India are slated to attend the opening day.
This year’s edition will feature a strong political and intellectual presence, with sessions such as “Demography, Dialogue and Development” led by Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj, and a special conversation, “Flowing Through Time: Healing The Yamuna,” featuring Delhi Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh.
Political commentator and author Anand Ranganathan will engage audiences with a discussion titled “Unscripted, Unapologetic, Unfiltered.”
The festival will host several Indian authors, including former diplomat Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri (Swallowing the Sun), Ambassador Abhay K (Nalanda ‘How It Changed The World), Dr Aishwarya Pandit (Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade), along with Ravi Shankar Etteth, Arun Anand, Pavan K Varma, Taslima Nasrin, and Mukul Kumar. Special sessions include a celebration of Hindi poetry titled “Itwaar Chhota Pad Gaya” and book discussions on “Can We Be Strangers Again” by Shrijeet Shandilya and “Kumbha: The Traditionally Modern Mela” by Nityananda Misra. The Delhi Literature Festival Awards 2025 will be presented across seven literary categories.
The event, which will be free to attend, will also showcase emerging young talents through the “Writers of the New Century” competition.
