Doordarshan Launch Show Kutaabnama: Books and Beyond
News
oi-IANS
By Ians English
Doordarshan
is
launching
a
weekly
book
show
called
Kutaabnama:
Books
and
Beyond
to
address
literary
issues
through
dialogue
and
conversation.
Conceived
by
writer
and
literary
activist
Namita
Gokhale,
who
is
also
the
co-director
of
Jaipur
Literature
Festival
and
Mountain
Echoes,
Bhutan,
the
show
will
feature
books,
readings
and
encounters
with
writers
from
the
spheres
of
Hindi,
English,
and
various
Indian
languages,
as
well
as
guest
appearances
from
international
names
and
voices.
The
show
will
be
launched
Aug
25.
The
early
episodes
will
feature
a
diverse
range
of
celebrated
names
including
Ashok
Vajpeyi,
Amish
Tripathi,
Geetanjalishree,
Mahesh
Dattani,
Mahmood
Farooqui,
Uday
Prakash,
Urvashi
Butalia,
Advaita
Kala
and
Lord
Meghnad
Desai.
"The
proliferation
of
literary
festivals,
including
the
incredible
success
of
the
Jaipur
Literature
Festival,
has
demonstrated
the
need
and
desire
of
audiences
to
connect
with
books
and
writers
and
to
resonate
with
the
world
of
ideas," said
Gokhale
in
a
statement
Tuesday.
"The
program
will
have
a
participatory
and
inclusive
format
and
showcase
the
multilingual
diversity
of
Indian
literature,"
she
added.
As
Doordarshan
has
over
90
percent
footprint
across
the
country,
the
show
will
reach
out
to
the
audience
in
the
heartlands
of
India.
This
will
in
a
way
act
as
a
bridge
between
the
regional
authors
and
lovers
of
literature.
"The
show
is
among
the
positive
steps
that
Doordarshan
has
recently
taken
to
reach
out
to
the
soul
of
India
when
many
others
compete
for
the
ears
and
eyes.
Literature
is
the
'second
opinion' that
all
nations
have
to
seek
for
their
own
health,
both
mental
and
physical,"
said
Jawar
Sircar,
CEO
Prasar
Bharti.
The
weekend
show
will
be
aired
on
Saturday
on
DD
National
at
6
p.m
and
on
Sunday
on
DD
Bharti
at
8
p.m.