Do you love reading? Attend this literature festival in Mumbai

Irsquom in a tizzy So much is happening and even more needs planningrdquo exclaims Ekta Bhandari cofounder of citybased readersrsquo club Read A Kitaab over our phone call And perhaps lsquotizzyrsquo is the perfect way to summarise the controlled chaos behind assembling a literature fest that appears textbook perfect on the outside This weekend Bhandari cofounder Anurag Kothari and their team are giving the RD National College in Bandra a makeover Theyrsquore expecting guests mdash readers authors storytellers and characters from your favourite comic booksEkta Bhandari and Anurag KothariThe key agenda the cofounder says is to approach the festival from a lsquoBy of and for the readerrsquo perspective With over 48 authors gathering on campus attendees can choose from panels on genres like humour food business and erotica or attend a dynamic lineup of workshops ranging from poetry open mics and pitching fresh ideas to publishers to the unique lsquohuman libraryrsquo experience where attendees transform into open books sharing their stories to those who lend an earA quirky installation is placed inside the childrenrsquos zoneCatering to the diverse readers from the city means carving out room in the cityrsquos perpetual space jam As a collaborator the college will offer its 600seater auditorium in the college for panel discussions and the badminton court will transform into a childrenrsquos zone where workshops like Create Your Own Comic by Amar Chitra Katha joined by the festivalrsquos mascot Shikari Shambhu will keep young minds engaged and entertained in safe hands while adults explore other sessionsA moment from the clubrsquos regular meetings for readersItrsquos not always a given so wersquore delighted when Bhandari shares that the event is fully accessible to persons with disabilities PwD ldquoWe did not want it to be an afterthought but a conscious effort right from the basic plan to place ramps accessible railings and ensure inclusive washrooms for the visitorsrdquo she signs offON March 1 and 2 10 am to 830 pm AT RD National College Linking Road Bandra West LOG ON TO readakitaab for pre registration and full schedule registration available at venueThe Guidersquos fave sessionsA previous childrenrsquos session PIC COURTESYWOODPECKER BOOKSItrsquos a party A storytelling and activity session for children will transform the outdoor area into the Mad Hatterrsquos tea party to bring the tale of Alice in Wonderland to lifeON March 2 4 pmAT Childrenrsquos LoungeAll hearts Author Neerja Pawar will decipher the art of turning your love letters mdash real or purely fictional mdash into captivating storiesthat are ready to be publishedON March 1 210 pmAT Conference areaTurn a new page Disability rights activist and entrepreneur Khushi Ganatra and Singaporebased teen author Sanjana Kanamarlapudi will explore the potential of accessible books and audiobooks in translating the joy of reading for members of the PwD communityON March 2 210 pmAT Garden areaVoices from the homeland Lt Cdr Bijay Nair retired of the Indian Navy will join author Bhaavna Arora to answer a simple yet pressing question What does loving your country really meanON March 1 115 pmAT Conference areaFrom the margins Authors Bhushan Korgaonkar left Aditi Paswan and Maitreyee Kamble will shine a light on the representation of marginalised communities in Indian literatureON March 2 305 pmAT College auditoriumAlso Check OutBooked in MumbaiThe MaxCity Valley of Words Lit Fest makes its Mumbai debut with discussions book launches and more Catch Kurush Dalalrsquos deep dive into Indian spices or witness Shabnam Minwalla Murali Ranganathan and Srinath Kesnur trace the cityrsquos transformation from Bombay to Mumbai among other immersive events ON March 1 and 2AT Kitab Khana Fort National Gallery of Modern Art Mumbai FortLOG ON TO maxcity_litfest for registration and full schedule