Asia’s first and largest sports literary festival to debut in New Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Asia’s first and largest sports literary festival to debut in New Delhi

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByHT Correspondent
Dec 12, 2019 03:09 PM IST

The Ekamra Sports Literature Festival is Asia’s first and largest ever sports literary festival bringing together some of the biggest names from Indian and international sport.

After an outstanding inaugural 2018, 1st season, which was held in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival now moves to New Delhi for the second season with an outstanding catalogue of Indian and international sports authors.

The key highlight sessions this December 2019 would revolve around Monty Panesar’s, The Full Monty, India book release(Getty Images)
The key highlight sessions this December 2019 would revolve around Monty Panesar’s, The Full Monty, India book release(Getty Images)

The Ekamra Sports Literature Festival is Asia’s first and largest ever sports literary festival bringing together some of the biggest names from Indian and international sport. A conclave of national and international sportswriters, authors, athletes, players, coaches and the festival welcomes sports fans to listen to diverse speakers and intensely debated issues.

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At the Literature Festival, some of the finest minds would be seen and heard including internationally acclaimed authors, artists, journalists, and activists, who come to share their insight and passion. Please find attached the schedule for the December event.

The key highlight sessions this December 2019 would revolve around Monty Panesar’s, The Full Monty, India book release; Australian author, Michael Sexton’s acclaimed book ‘Border’s Battlers’ on the 1986 tied Test at Madras between India and Australia; sessions on Business of Sport, athlete’s turned politicians and one of the most important books published in North America ‘Woman Enough’ with its author Kristen Worley (former Canadian cyclist) speaking to Delhi fans. Sport has crossed into fiction and who better to discuss it than Sri Lankan award winning writer Shehan Karunatilaka with his book ‘Chinaman: The legend of Pradeep Mathew’.

It wouldn’t be complete, would it, without bringing in the T20 and Tim Wigmore, the former CMJ Young Journalist of the Year award winner with his latest release ‘Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution.’ Tim will be at the festival for Cricket 2.0’s India release.

Speaking on the 2nd season of the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival, Shireen Sethi, festival director, said, “The second season was to consciously push the festival towards authors and writers who spend a considerable amount of their time and life honing a set of skills that is extremely difficult to master.”

“And that is why the introduction of the awards towards sports authors and writers. We hope the second season is influential, provocative and weighty in it’s debates, discussions and opinions.”

Then there is the book ‘Fortune Turners’ with Bishan Singh Bedi and at least two sports books being released at the festival.

Dutee Chand, the star sprinter would be at the festival speaking on what goes into the pressure of Olympic qualification and balancing a life dominated by magazine covers and endless debates over her life’s choices.

On Dec 15th, we would witness the first-ever Sports Book Awards in as many as six categories.

The categories are: Autobiography of the Year, Biography of the Year (authorised or unauthorised), Cricket Book of the Year, Outstanding Sports Book Award, Best Sports Book Publisher and Sports Book of the Year (to be decided by the jury)

In 2018, the festival hosted 12 sessions over two days with nearly 50 speakers in Bhubaneswar. Packed audiences heard former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, hockey guru Ric Charlesworth, multiple gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice, fast-bowling legend Jeff Thomson, Indian Test batsman Ajinkya Rahane and former Test player Mohammed Kaif. Attached here is a link to the first event in Bhubaneswar, which would give a sense of its global appeal.

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