The fifth edition of the Green Literature Festival (GLF), the country’s only literary festival dedicated to environmental literature, will be held in Bengaluru on November 29 at the Century Club, Cubbon Park, from 10 am to 7 pm.
“When it comes to green literature, we are the only ones,” says Benedict Paramanand, GLF’s founder, adding that while other literature festivals may have a couple of sessions dedicated to the environment, GLF is unique because it focuses exclusively on this genre.
“We try to touch on every aspect of environmental literature, not just the usual, popular themes of wildlife and conservation. There is much more to climate change and environmentalism.”
At a previous edition of the festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Some of the sessions this year include an address by writer Sujatha Padmanabhan on her experiences in Ladakh, a conversation between journalists Priti David, Arathi Menon and Chintan Girish Modi on environmental journalism, a presentation by Pankaj Sekhsaria, the author of Island on Edge: The Great Nicobar Crisis and a panel discussion on eco-fiction.
Other key highlights include talks on AI and the environment, on how cartoons can serve as a handshake between ecology, conservation, and the lay reader by Swaroop Madhavan and Rohan Chakravarty, respectively, as well as a panel discussion on reimagining Bengaluru as a greener city.
In addition to events at the main venue, Wadiyar Hall, there will be a Children’s Green Literature Festival and a Green Business Literature Festival at the other venues in the club. “We wanted to make the scope of conversations bigger and broader,” explains Benedict. Additionally, “we wanted to make some of the verticals we have introduced wider and deeper.”
At a previous edition of the festival
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
For instance, while GLF has always had one or two sessions on green business, this year, “we have three hours or separate independent content for that,” he says, delving into the reason behind this development.
According to him, since climate change is so closely connected to business, it is essential to examine how businesses evolve and become more responsible. “We wanted to drive that home by having multiple sessions on this particular theme,” says Benedict, who is also looking forward to the interactive experiences that will be part of the larger festival, “workshops and quests and things like that, because we don’t want people to keep speaking.”
The festival will end with the GLF Grand Evening at Sampige Village in the club, comprising a green poetry session, several green book launches, and finally the GLF Honour Book Awards 2025.
“They are one-of-a-kind awards…are well-respected, and people look forward to participating in them,” says Benedict, pointing out that awards will be given under multiple categories: Children, Adult Fiction/Non-fiction, and Green Business.
Benedict Paramanand, GLF’s founder
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
While the conversation around the environment has strengthened considerably in the last few years, thanks to “schools and colleges emphasising it… original documentaries and good films coming out that make this segment engaging…and, of course, social media,” there is still a long way to go. The GLF is playing its part in the realm of literature by ensuring that literature gets its own platform. “The written word is one of the most powerful influences on behaviour and policy, and we want to drive this as much as possible.”
GLF will be held at the Century Club, Cubbon Park, on November 29 from 10 am to 7 pm. To know more, log in to greenlitfest.com.
Published – November 25, 2025 05:01 am IST