Lifestyle / Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA)

Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA)

Lifestyle Nov 24, 2022

by Hina P. Ansari

The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA), which took place at the Montalvo Arts Center was the center point for South Asian global giants of literature and arts. From books to music, to art and cuisine, the 2-day festival themed “Humanity” had South Asian perspectives debated and analyzed thanks to an incredible array of over 40 globally renowned leaders including author and co-chair of the festival, Vikram Chandra (“Sacred Games”) Alka Joshi (“The Henna Artist”) and celebs including Poorna Jagannathan from “Never Have I Ever” and Dalit activist Thenmozhi Soundararajan aka “Dalit Diva” and more. Here are the highlights of this fab event!

**Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA)**

On October 29 & 30, the historic Villa Montalvo, home to the Montalvo Arts Center, hosted the annual South Asian Literature and Art Festival (SALA) 2022 in collaboration with Art Forum SF, the Stanford University Center for South Asia, and the UC Berkeley Institute of South Asian Studies. And were were proud media sponsors for this unique event!

Literary giants from all over the world congregated for the two-day event which held various panel discussions ranging from everything including art, cuisine, journalism and other relevant topics of discussion buoyed by the South Asian perspective.

Such glitterati in attendance included Ayad Akhtar, Vikram Chandra, Alka Joshi, Sorayya Khan, and contemporary artists like Annu Palakunnathu Mathew, Ranu Mukherjee, Sarah Ahmad and Jaishri Abichandani. Celebs were also in attendance including Swara Bhaskar and Poorna Jagannathan. Academics and creatives like Dr. Suraj Yengde flourished the conversation along with musician TM Krishna, and Thenmozhi Soundararajan. There were also poets such as Amit Majmudar, Devi Laskar, and Shikha Malavia. Artistic contribution to the conversation included those by Drs. Shireen and Afzal Ahmad. A contemporary dance troup EnActe, performed excerpts from their globally-reknowned musical version of The Jungle Book.

Verandah Dance Performance by local theatre group EnActe – The Jungle Book Rudyard Revised — **Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA): Verandah Dance Performance by local theatre group EnActe: *The Jungle Book* Rudyard Revised.** Photo Credit: Tushar Unadkat and Yo India TV

“The theme of humanity through inclusion, equality and bridging divides was reflected in all our sessions, be it poetry, prose, the epicurean panels or the arts.” Noted Kiran Malhotra, Director SALA 2022. “We also wholeheartedly invite people from other South Asian communities, like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal, to participate in SALA.”

Ambika Sahay, Executive Director, Kiran Malhotra BOD, Poorna Jagannathan Actress. Mayuranki Almoula BOD. Tushar Unadkat, Media & PR Director. — Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA): (L-R) Ambika Sahay, Executive Director, Kiran Malhotra Director of SALA and a member of the Board of Directors, Poorna Jagannathan Actress, Mayuranki Almoula from SALA Board of Directors, and Tushar Unadkat, Media & PR Director. Photo Credit: Tushar Unadkat and Yo India TV

Other riveting discussions included (but was not limited to):

Panel discussions about contemporary South Asian cuisine

The concept of translations of regional South Asian works featuring noted translators Daisy Rockwell, SALA mentor Moazzam Sheikh, and Jenny Bhatt.

Journalist and author, Salil Tripathi, chatted with Vikram Chandra, novelist and UC Berkeley Creative Writing Professor, about the current socio-political situation in India, Mumbai’s organized crime crisis and the privacy issues when it comes to big tech and social media.

**Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA): Red Earth and Pouring Rain, Sacred Games to Geek Sublime: L-R) Journalist Salil Tripathi and author Vikram Chanda.** Photo Credit: Tushar Unadkat and Yo India TV

Artist and musician T.M. Krisha chatted about the need to democratize Carnatic music.

Devi Laskar, Sorraya Khan and Sandhya Gajjar let the audiences in on their techniques and the holistic ritual of writing.

Chaitali Sen, Salil Tripathi and Raji Pillai discussed the current situation in the art world with the suppression of cultural voices with the political turmoil that’s happening in the world.

Chaitali Sen, Salil Tripathi With Raji Pillai This discussion centered on the suppression of art, culture and voices amid the current political turmoil around the world. — **Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA): The Conscious Objector with seated guests (L-R) Salil Tripathi, Chaitali Sen and Raji Pillai.** Photo Credit: Tushar Unadkat and Yo India TV

Playwright and New York Time’s best-selling novelist Ayad Akhtar, (American Dervish, Homeland Elegies), who is also recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for his play Disgraced, discussed his parent’s immigration experience.

There were also a slew of panel is discussions including one featuring Never Have I Ever‘s Poorna Jagannathan.

In addition to all the insightful and thought provoking analyses, there was also some levity with wine tasting and discussion of the modernity of contemporary South Asian cuisine with Ritu Marwah, Chef Ranjan Dey, Neeta Mittal, Ayesha Thapar and Chef Srijith Gopinathan.

It was clear that this year’s South Asian Literature And Arts Festival was indeed a grand success and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year!

Main Image Photo Credit: SALA

Hina P. Ansari

Author

Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...

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Highlights From The South Asian Literature And Arts Festival (SALA)

by Hina P. Ansari

Hina P. Ansari

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