In Photo: Prof. Dr Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool emphasising the importance of literature as education for the young minds

The annual two-day event Marathi Fest ‘Maifal’ by Maharashtra Times and knowledge partner, S.P. Mandalis’ Welingkar Institute of Management (WeSchool) invited young minds and renowned authors, poets and poetesses, actors and theatre gurus like play director, Shri. Achyut Deshingkar to share their views on some of the most talked about topics in writing and media content. Some of the sessions that gripped the audience were ’web series- present and future’ and ‘Indian perspective, marketability, raising finance and content’. Anecdotes on bold content in web series were cheered by audience and luminaries in the audience and on the panel like Prof. Dr Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool; Padma Shri. Kranti Shah; Shri. Suhas Kamath, renowned Marathi writer, theatre and acting guru; Shri. Santosh Juvekar, renowned Marathi actor; Shri. Sarang Sathaye, renowned Marathi actor and Shri. Hrishikesh Joshi, renowned Marathi writer, actor and director.

In Photo: The event was inaugurated at the hands of Chief Guest, Shri. Kiran Nagarkar, a prominent English-Marathi writer; Shri. Ramdas Bhatkal, MD, Popular Prakashan; Shri. Laxmikant Deshmukh, IAS officer also President, 2017 Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (an annual conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers) and Shri. Ashok Panvalkar, Executive Editor, Maharashtra Times.

Lines from Marathi theatre play adapted from Kiran Nagarkar’s novel ‘Bedtime Story’ were read in presence of play director Achyut Deshingkar and Kiran ji.

Present and past two presidents of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Shri. Laxmikant Deshmukh, Shri. Nagnath Kotapalle and Shri. Shripal Sabnis was interviewed by Smt. Veena Sanekar.

Discussion on ‘Why don’t we have new talents as cartoonists? by renowned cartoonists Shri. Pradeep Mhapaseka and Shri. Prabhakar Wairkar, Illustrator, Cartoonist, Painter urged young talent to illustrate their thoughts freely.

The youngest panellists were top three college playwrights from intercollegiate competition who presented their views on their inspiration to write on social reforms and human experiences. No two writers think alike. Thinking power of each writer is individualistic and unique.  College playwrights: Prashant Joshi, Swapnil Jadhav and Sanjay Jaamkhandi were interviewed by Advait Dadarkar.

The visiting crowd among the old and young browsed through a display of autobiographies, biographies, novels and non-fiction books on technology and education as well.

The event concluded with an anticipation of meeting again the next year.