Corbett to host inaugural wildlife-focused literature festival in October
The inaugural edition of the Corbett Literature Festival, bringing together writers, conservationists, historians, photographers and storytellers for conversations around nature and wildlife, will be held from October 6 to 8.
Titled "3 Days in the Wild", the three-day residential festival will feature more than 30 speakers across over 20 sessions, centred on four broad themes -- nature and wildlife, the Himalayas, Uttarakhand, and culture and heritage.
The festival will be hosted across three venues of its hospitality partners -- The Golden Tusk, The Riverview Retreat and Aahana Resort & Spa in Corbett.
"Corbett occupies a prominent place in India's conservation history. It has inspired India's most enduring wildlife writings and photography, through Jim Corbett to F W Champion," Saket Badola, field director of Corbett Tiger Reserve, said in a statement.
"The inaugural 'Corbett Literature Festival' takes this legacy forward by bringing writers, conservationists, historians, photographers and people of the landscape into an intimate conversation," he said.
The programme will open with discussions on Himalayan memory, wildlife photography, and the folklore and cultural traditions of Uttarakhand.
Among the speakers are Sahitya Akademi Award-winning author and Jaipur Literature Festival co-founder Namita Gokhale, historian and chronicler of the Chipko movement Dr Shekhar Pathak, author and naturalist Stephen Alter, and Padma Shri awardee and photographer, mountaineer and environmentalist Anup Sah.
The second day will focus on conservation, coexistence and the challenges of protecting wildlife landscapes. Author and Himalayan Echoes founder Janhavi Prasada, veteran journalist and author Nirmal Ghosh, Whitley Award-winning conservationist and researcher Sanjay Gubbi, and wildlife and conservation photographer Dhritiman Mukherjee are among the participants.
The final day will feature discussions on Himalayan ecology, responsible tourism and nature writing, followed by an evening of storytelling, poetry and a closing literary dinner.
Beyond literary sessions, the festival will offer masterclasses by wildlife photographers and filmmakers, as well as guided nature walks introducing participants to the birds, trees and wildlife of the Corbett landscape.
Cultural evenings will showcase Uttarakhand's music, food and storytelling.
The festival will be offered as an all-inclusive three-night experience, with participants able to book their stay through any of the hospitality partners and access the full programme, organisers said.
