Books and reading can change your life, said Abraham Verghese, eminent physician and author, most recently, of ‘The Covenant of Water’. Dr Verghese delivered the inaugural address at the 13th edition of The Hindu Lit for Life, in Chennai, on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
After a nod to his connection with Chennai – he studied at Madras Medical College – Dr. Verghese said that if you think about it, while human beings have been around for perhaps a million plus years, the first recorded writing script, the Sumerian script on Cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia was from around 5,000 years ago – similar writing forms took place in the Indus Valley and China, and so, he said, writing has only been us for about 5,000 years, and printing, in the form of books began only in the 1400s. “So this a very, very recent endeavour so to speak, and yet it’s a wonderful, magical endeavour,” he said.
When we read, Dr. Verghese said, the retina takes in the image, the brain recognises and processes it, and makes a sort of mental movie for the reader. He added, jokingly, that he told his medical students that if they were not in the habit of picking up a novel to read, they would suffer ‘brain atrophy’. Quoting Franz Kafa, who said a book “must be the axe for the frozen sea within us,” he said, he was thinking of all the young people at the festival, who were perhaps, about to discover the one book that would steer their life in a slightly different way.
“There are no writers without readers,” he reminded the audience, and so, the festival was the celebration of all, and the magic of the written word.
Chairperson of The Hindu Group and festival chair and founder Nirmala Lakshman, on the aim and spirit behind Lit for Life said the festival was about celebrating words, ideas and creativity, while striving to be a wide platform, carrying with it the honest and fearless traditions of The Hindu and with a firm commitment to freedom of expression.
Editor, The Hindu, Suresh Nambath, while discussing the relationship between journalism and literature said that literature was journalism that stays with us forever.
CEO, The Hindu, L.V. Navaneeth said that Lit for Life was more than just a two-day event: engaging and interactive initiatives had been organised prior to the festival as well for the community, including a mobile library, story-telling workshops, literary walks and other such programmes. “Literature in its myriad forms is everywhere and is waiting to be embraced,” he said.
The Hindu Lit for Life event is presented by KIA India and is in association with Christ University. Associate Partners: LIC, RR Donnelley, Blue Star, Brigade Group, NITTE Deemed-to-be University, PROchure, Singer, Chennai Port Authority & Kamarajar Port Ltd, Uttarakhand Tourism, Vajiram and Ravi, Indian Bank, Akshayakalpa and ICFAI Group. Realty Partner: Casagrand. Bookstore Partner: Crossword. Food Partner: Wow Momo, Beverage Partner: Beachville, Radio Partner: Big FM, TV Partner: Puthiya Thalaimurai Gift Partner: Anand Prakash. Supported by: US Consulate, Chennai, Water Partner: Repute
Published – January 18, 2025 11:04 am IST
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