Lowdown on the literary scene in 2011

Goodbye, Uncle Pai: The Indian comic book scene received a huge blow with the passing away of educationist and comics creator, Anant Pai, on February 24. Popularly known as Uncle Pai, he started the Amar Chitra Katha series in 1967, which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters. In 1980, he launched Tinkle, a children’s anthology.

Lit love: Although a fairly new trend, literature festivals are fast cropping up in various parts of the country. The Jaipur Literature Festival, a celebration of national and international writers, is recognised as one of the largest literary festivals in Asia. The festival has seen writers such as JM Coetzee, Orhan Pamuk and Salman Rushdie. Several lit fests debuted and some gained momentum too. Take into account Literature Live!, that took place in Mumbai for the first time, attracted renowned authors like Vikram Seth, Mahasweta Devi, and Thomas Friedman, among others. A children’s literature festival, Bookaroo, in Srinagar, has had speakers such as Ruskin Bond, Anita Roy, and Roopa Pai, among others, in the past editions. Then there’s Kerala’s Hay Festival that’s as popular as Apeejay Kolkata literary festival. More lit fests are already in the offing. Lit lovers have a lot to look forward to.

Comic timing: India got its first Comic Con this year. The Comic Convention at Delhi Haat received tremendous response thus making way for the travelling version, Comic Con Express, that started in Mumbai this time. About 10 comic books were launched at the event including 40 Sufi Comics, Shiva The Legends of the Immortal, Widhwa Ma — Andhi Behen, Munkee Man, and more.
Zombie alert: While books about vampires continue to be popular, zombies caught the fancy of readers. Take, for instance, the alternate comic Zombie Talkies. The supernatural and the fantasy genre continued to appeal. There were several books with these ‘dark’ characters in the form of romances and urban fiction