In the spirit of writing 
Mussoorie Writers 2011
Mussoorie Writers 2011 celebrated prose and poetry with a focus on "Spirituality and Science in Writing." "The Craft of Writing" was also a subject of discussion, as eight distinguished authors gathered in Mussoorie to take part in panel presentations, workshops and readings. Each of the events was well attended by Woodstock students, staff, parents and members of the community.
As a prelude to the main festival, Merryn Glover Appleby, whose short stories explore characters and subjects related to India, conducted two workshop sessions for students and staff on Sept. 22-23. A graduate of Woodstock, Appleby has just completed a novel set in Landour.
Oct. 4 saw the arrival of authors from Allahabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Concord, Massachusetts. Participants were welcomed by Mussoorie authors and Woodstock Staff at a dinner hosted by Stephen Alter. The opening session on Oct. 5 was held in Parker Hall, with novelist and Managing Editor of The Indian Express, Raj Kamal Jha (The Blue Bedspread, Fireproof), speaking about "Writers and Editors." He described the importance of the editorial relationship for an author. Fiction writer, Palash Krishna Mehrotra then spoke about "Fiction and Non-Fiction" using examples from his short story collection Eunuch Park and his forthcoming non-fiction book on urban youth, The Butterfly Generation. David Davidar, both a publisher (Aleph) and an author (House of Blue Mangoes, Ithaca) spoke about "Publishing and Writing," explaining that book publishing is undergoing a process of dramatic change with e-books and online publications. He discussed what this means for both authors and editors.
Woodstock's Lyre Tree has become one of the favourite venues for literary readings. The curving limbs of this elegant cheer pine, which serves as the school's emblem, resemble the shape of a Grecian lyre. During the second session on Oct. 5, poet Eunice De Souza (Women in Dutch Painting, Ways of Belonging) read from her most recent collection A Necklace of Skulls. De Souza's voice lifted words off the page and added a lyrical resonance to her evocative poems. Arvind Krishna Mehrotra (The Absent Traveller, Partial Recall), poet and translator, read from his most recent book, Songs of Kabir, translations of the 15th Century Bhakti poet, who rejects established religion with irreverent devotion. Novelist and physicist, Alan Lightman (Einstein's Dreams, Reunion) then read from his forthcoming novel Mr. g, a creation narrative that blends science, humour and the ultimate mysteries of the universe.
Oct. 6, the program shifted to the Hanifl Centre, where a packed hall listened to Alan Lightman discuss "Science in Fiction." He explained how good Science Writing employs some of the same strategies and devices of fiction, such as metaphor and narrative. Bill Aitken (Seven Sacred Rivers, The Nanda Devi Affair) was the second speaker of the morning and addressed the subject of "Writing and Spirituality," with references to his own experiences in search of "the Thing." Aitken paid tribute to the goddesses he worships while debunking those who turn to religion for commercial, political or megalomaniacal gain. Arvind Mehrotra concluded the session by using examples from Arun Kolatkar's cycle of poems Jejuri to illustrate the manner in which a poet observes, questions and reflects upon spirituality and religion. Both Mehrotra and Lightman echoed themes from their readings the previous day, pursuing and puncturing divinity with sharpened nibs.
The final session of Mussoorie Writers 2011 featured prose readings by David Davidar, Palash Mehrotra and Raj Kamal Jha, three writers who could not be more different, yet share a passion for storytelling and the well chosen word. Davidar's Ithaca, released only a week before, disembowels the world of publishing and describes all of the cloak and dagger, as well as the personalities that lie behind the making of a book. Mehrotra chose to read his story "Nick of Time," a hilariously moving tale about dislocation, love, CD players, emergency chains, and cross-dressing. Jha read the opening passages of Fireproof, a novel that begins in the aftermath of communal riots in Ahmedabad, discovering horror, beauty and rare innocence in the grotesque.
Mussoorie Writers 2011 proved, once again, that if you bring a group of intelligent, articulate authors to an altitude of 7,000 ft above sea level, there is bound to be a heady conversation.
Mussoorie Writers and Winterline Centre for the Arts are made possible through a grant from Winterline Foundation.
Click here to read press reports about the festival-Dehradun Plus
Click here to read press reports about the festival-Garhwal Post
Click here to read press reports about the festival-Himachal Times
Click here to read press reports about the festival-The Statesman