Journalist Stanly Johny and Author Sarah Zia at a panel on Prioritizing Palestine with Core Committee member of Hyderabad Literary Festival at the 16th edition of Hyderabad Literary Festival in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Hyderabad on Saturday (January 24) witnessed the beginning of a three-day celebration of ideas, imagination and dialogue as the 16th edition of the Hyderabad Literary Festival got under way at the Sattva Knowledge City. The festival was inaugurated by Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, who lauded the platform for bringing together writers, thinkers, artists, scholars and citizens in a shared spirit of harmony.
Addressing the gathering at the inaugural, the Governor commended the festival for nurturing inclusive spaces for discussion and exchange. He said libraries should evolve into centres of thinking, discussion, exchange of ideas and hubs of analysis, rather than remain mere repositories of books. During the session, he also released Karuna: The Power of Compassion, a book authored by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who was present on the occasion.
The opening day featured a range of sessions spanning journalism, geopolitics and literature. Among the discussions was a panel titled ‘Freedom, Control and The News’, featuring journalists Dhanya Rajendran and Pamela Philipose. The speakers examined how independent media organisations function and how their editorial practices and challenges differ from those of mainstream media.
Journalists Pamela Philpose and Dhanya Rajendran in a panel on ‘Freedom, Control and the News’, moderated by Senior Professor of Communication at University of Hyderabad Vinod Pavarala at the 16th edition of Hyderabad Literary Festival in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
SIDDHANT THAKUR
In a post-lunch session titled ‘Prioritising Palestine’, journalist Stanly Johny and author Sarah Zia traced the historical roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict and reflected on the need to foreground Palestinian voices amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Sarah Zia spoke about the origins of her book Letters from Gaza, which she began writing in November 2023. She described the period as one in which the world was witnessing violence in Gaza in real time through social media. “It felt as though people across the globe were watching a genocide unfold live on their phones, confronted daily with images and videos that were both unbearable and inescapable,” she added.
The festival drew large crowds, with attendees moving between sessions throughout the day. A major attraction was the bookstore at the venue, which showcased a wide range of titles and drew readers across age groups. Telangana Tourism also set up a stall displaying photographs of historical and cultural landmarks from across the State. The stall featured a ‘wishlist wall’, where visitors were invited to paste sticky notes naming places in Telangana they wished to visit.
The day concluded with a musical performance by Aabha Hanjura, who was accompanied by a six-member band from Kashmir.
The festival will continue on January 25 and 26 with more sessions and cultural engagements.
Published – January 24, 2026 07:46 pm IST
