Laid-backLitFest
Edition 2: June 7th onwards
Ever been to a Lit Fest that felt relaxed?
Laidback?
The folks at the Himalayan Writing Retreat felt the world needed one, and came up with this…
Zero travel. No hotels. No Parking blues.
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No queues
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One session at a time (Never miss one)
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On your screen
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Attend in your pyjamas, uncombed.
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Zero carbon footprint
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Zero travel. No hotels. No Parking blues. + No queues + One session at a time (Never miss one) + On your screen + Attend in your pyjamas, uncombed. + Zero carbon footprint +
Save on sanitiser - no germs! 😊
Speakers
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![Appupen]()
Appupen
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![Atika Gupta]()
Atika Gupta
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![Meeti Shroff]()
Meeti Shroff
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![Nidhi Upadhyay]()
Nidhi Upadhyay
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![Rahul Pandita]()
Rahul Pandita
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![Saksham Garg]()
Saksham Garg
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![Somak Ghoshal]()
Somak Ghoshal
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![Shehan Karunatilaka]()
Shehan Karunatilaka
5 PM
Every Sunday
Chat with the high priests of literature and creativity
Authors, Poets
And other deeply talented creators
Attend from anywhere
All you need is a device and data
All this for less than the price of a Venti Caramel Java Chip Iced Frappuccino (yes, that’s one drink) at Starbucks.
The second edition of Laid-back Lit Fest starts on 7th June, 2026.
Seats are limited.
Live sessions, no recordings.
You’ll find the detailed schedule here.
If your interest is writing, not just reading, click here.
Program
LLF #2- June ’26
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Writing Mysteries and Thrillers with Meeti Shroff & Nidhi Upadhyay.
The panelists will discuss:
The importance of plotting.How they choose the setting of their stories.
How to write page turners by handling Pacing.
How to plan a series versus standalone books.
Meeti Shroff-Shah writes the Temple Hill Mystery series. Her novel, A Matrimonial Murder, the second in the series, was nominated for the People's Book Prize, UK, 2025. She has been shortlisted for both the prestigious CWA Whodunnit Dagger and Short Story Dagger, UK, 2025. She was also shortlisted for the AutHer Awards in 2023 for The Death of Kirti Kadakia. Her books are published in India, the UK, and Japan.
Her new mystery, The Mumbai School for Murder is out now.
Nidhi Upadhyay is the author of the bestselling novel That Night, published by Penguin Random House in April 2021. It quickly became a national bestseller, selling over 100,000 copies and topping the horror charts on Amazon India. Her books earned her a prestigious grant from the National Arts Council of Singapore.
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Saksham Garg & Atika Gupta - Book marketing Panel
Saksham Garg is a literary agent, ex-editor at Penguin India, and the bestselling author of the record-breaking SAMSARA: ENTER THE VALLEY OF THE GODS, which has been translated into Hindi and Marathi, and sold over 70,000 copies.
Saksham represents as a literary agent some of the highest selling authors in the country, all of whom are published by Penguin India. He and his authors regularly feature in the Amazon Top 10 in All Books category and Nielsen Top 10 charts.
Saksham studied at Woodstock School, Mussoorie, for seven years, from where he found inspiration for his debut novel. He studied BA Economics Hons. from Hindu College, Delhi University, after which he joined the much-coveted editorial team at Penguin Random House India. After 5 years of working as an Editor, he launched his debut novel to resounding success using game-changing marketing techniques involving direct marketing.
Saksham plays football, and the violin, and invests in real estate and development. He lives between Jaipur and Delhi, and is currently working on the much-awaited sequel to SAMSARA, the slow writing of which is often criticised within the comments section of the viral reels around the book.
Atika Gupta is a PR and Brand Communications Consultant with vast experience in varied industries like academia, publishing, hospitality, retail and CSR. She has successfully spearheaded the launch of luxury boutique hotels, bookstores and an art gallery. Her passion for art and literature has led to effective curation and strategising of events across various international platforms. She also co-chaired the Managing Committee of Kumaon Literary Festival and was one of the founding members of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. Born out of a love for books, her boutique PR & Brand Communication consultancy has a specialist expertise in the publishing sector.
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Memoir and Non-Fiction Writing
Rahul Pandita will join us for a conversation shaped by years of deeply reported journalism and storytelling that refuses to look away.He will discuss Our Moon Has Blood Clots along with his most recent book, his debut fiction novel, Our Friends in Good Houses.
Rahul Pandita is the author of three bestselling books: Our Moon Has Blood Clots: A Memoir of a Lost Home in Kashmir; Hello, Bastar: The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement; and The Absent State: Insurgency as an Excuse for Misgovernance [co-authored]. He is the recipient of the International Red Cross Award for conflict reporting in 2010. He is a 2015 Yale World Fellow. His recent book, Our Friends in Good Houses, released in October 2025 is his debut in fiction. It follows a journalist’s journey and explores themes of displacement and belonging.
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Shehan Karunatilaka
Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lankan novelist, journalist, and creative writer best known for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which won the 2022 Booker Prize. His debut novel was Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, an award-winning book about cricket, memory, and Sri Lankan life.
Born in Sri Lanka in 1975, Karunatilaka studied in New Zealand and has lived and worked in cities including London, Colombo, Amsterdam, and Singapore. He has written fiction as well as features, screenplays, travel writing, songs, and children’s books, which gives his work a versatile and playful range.
His fiction is often rooted in Sri Lanka’s history, politics, and folklore, but it is known for mixing dark humor, energy, and broad storytelling ambition. Beyond novels, he has also written for outlets such as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wisden, and National Geographic.
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Reading Trends & Writing for Young Readers
Somak Ghoshal from Mint Lounge’s books section will join us to discuss the changing publishing landscape, evolving reading habits, and what all of this means for writers trying to find their place in the industry today.
Somak Ghoshal is a culture critic, writer and reporter whose work has appeared in leading national and international platforms. He is currently a Consultant at Mint, writing especially for Mint Lounge, where he has spent nearly a decade shaping the publication’s coverage of books, fine arts and culture. He previously held senior editorial roles at The Telegraph (Kolkata), HuffPost India, and Mint. He was formerly fiction and nonfiction commissioning editor at Penguin Books and HarperCollins India. He is the author of three books for young readers.
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India’s Graphic Novel Culture
George Mathen, also known as Appupen, whose graphic narratives have redefined what visual storytelling can look and feel like will discuss about the surreal, political, unsettling, and his impossible to forget worlds.
Appupen, is a noted graphic novelist and artist from Bangalore, India. Renowned for his allegorical world-building, he is best known for 'Halahala', a shifting universe critiquing power, greed, environmental collapse, and human excess. His work has appeared in many magazines such as Tehelka, Rolling Stone India, India Quarterly and more. Armed with a skewed vision of the world, darkly vivid art and a satirical bite, he is a unique voice in Indian comics and comics in general.
Bookstore
You can buy your favourite author’s books. We’ll have the book signed and shipped to your home address.
Signed books may take from 7-14 days, so order now.
We have partnered with Dragonfly Reads to get these signed copies to you.
Speakers
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Appupen
George Mathen, popularly known as Appupen, is a noted graphic novelist and artist from Bangalore, India. Renowned for his allegorical world-building, he is best known for 'Halahala', a shifting universe critiquing power, greed, environmental collapse, and human excess. His work has appeared in many magazines such as Tehelka, Rolling Stone India, India Quarterly and more. Armed with a skewed vision of the world, darkly vivid art and a satirical bite, he is a unique voice in Indian comics and comics in general.
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Atika Gupta
Atika Gupta is a PR and Brand Communications Consultant with vast experience in varied industries like academia, publishing, hospitality, retail and CSR. She has successfully spearheaded the launch of luxury boutique hotels, bookstores and an art gallery. Her passion for art and literature has led to effective curation and strategising of events across various international platforms. She also co-chaired the Managing Committee of Kumaon Literary Festival and was one of the founding members of the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival. Born out of a love for books, her boutique PR & Brand Communication consultancy has a specialist expertise in the publishing sector.
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Meeti Shroff-Shah
Meeti Shroff-Shah writes the Temple Hill Mystery series. Her novel, A Matrimonial Murder, the second in the series, was nominated for the People's Book Prize, UK, 2025. She has been shortlisted for both the prestigious CWA Whodunnit Dagger and Short Story Dagger, UK, 2025. She was also shortlisted for the AutHer Awards in 2023 for The Death of Kirti Kadakia. Her books are published in India, the UK, and Japan.
Her new mystery, The Mumbai School for Murder is out now.
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Nidhi Upadhyay
Nidhi Upadhyay is the bestselling author of That Night, I Hear You, and The Drowning, all published by Penguin Random House. Her debut, That Night, sold over 110,000 copies across the Indian subcontinent and Singapore, reached #1 in Amazon India’s horror category, and has been translated into two regional languages. Collectively her novels have sold over 135,000 copies.
An engineer and headhunter by day, Nidhi writes psychological thrillers grounded in social observation, emotional complexity, and strong female leads — exploring Asian narratives with a quiet, forensic intensity. A two-time recipient of the National Arts Council Singapore Capability Development Grant, her work has been celebrated at literary festivals including the Delhi Literature Festival and SheThePeople TV Writing Festival, and she has conducted creative writing workshops with Crossword Bookstore and Oxford Bookstore across India.
She made her playwriting debut with Shankh-Naad, staged at DASTAK 2021, Singapore’s premier multicultural theatre festival, and regularly mentors emerging writers through online platforms and independent initiatives.
Nidhi is based in Singapore.
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Rahul Pandita
Rahul Pandita is the author of three bestselling books: Our Moon Has Blood Clots: A Memoir of a Lost Home in Kashmir; Hello, Bastar: The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement; and The Absent State: Insurgency as an Excuse for Misgovernance [co-authored]. He is the recipient of the International Red Cross Award for conflict reporting in 2010. He is a 2015 Yale World Fellow. His recent book, Our Friends in Good Houses, released in October 2025 is his debut in fiction. It follows a journalist’s journey and explores themes of displacement and belongingness.
-
Saksham Garg
Saksham Garg is a literary agent, ex-editor at Penguin India, and the bestselling author of the record-breaking SAMSARA: ENTER THE VALLEY OF THE GODS, which has been translated into Hindi and Marathi, and sold over 70,000 copies.
Saksham represents as a literary agent some of the highest selling authors in the country, all of whom are published by Penguin India. He and his authors regularly feature in the Amazon Top 10 in All Books category and Nielsen Top 10 charts.
Saksham studied at Woodstock School, Mussoorie, for seven years, from where he found inspiration for his debut novel. He studied BA Economics Hons. from Hindu College, Delhi University, after which he joined the much-coveted editorial team at Penguin Random House India. After 5 years of working as an Editor, he launched his debut novel to resounding success using game-changing marketing techniques involving direct marketing.
Saksham plays football, and the violin, and invests in real estate and development. He lives between Jaipur and Delhi, and is currently working on the much-awaited sequel to SAMSARA, the slow writing of which is often criticised within the comments section of the viral reels around the book.
-
Shehan Karunatilaka
Shehan Karunatilaka is a Sri Lankan novelist, journalist, and creative writer best known for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, which won the 2022 Booker Prize. His debut novel was Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, an award-winning book about cricket, memory, and Sri Lankan life.
Born in Sri Lanka in 1975, Karunatilaka studied in New Zealand and has lived and worked in cities including London, Colombo, Amsterdam, and Singapore. He has written fiction as well as features, screenplays, travel writing, songs, and children’s books, which gives his work a versatile and playful range.
His fiction is often rooted in Sri Lanka’s history, politics, and folklore, but it is known for mixing dark humor, energy, and broad storytelling ambition. Beyond novels, he has also written for outlets such as The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wisden, and National Geographic.
-
Somak Ghoshal
Somak Ghoshal is a culture critic, writer and reporter whose work has appeared in leading national and international platforms. He is currently a Consultant at Mint, writing especially for Mint Lounge, where he has spent nearly a decade shaping the publication’s coverage of books, fine arts and culture. He previously held senior editorial roles at The Telegraph (Kolkata), HuffPost India, and Mint. He was formerly fiction and nonfiction commissioning editor at Penguin Books and HarperCollins India. He is the author of three books for young readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Laid-back Lit Fest has been created for the same reason as any other lit fest - for the love of reading. In waiting areas, airports and metros we see fewer people reading books. We believe the more conversations and attention that literature and authors get, the better.
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Yes, we know that India has a huge number of Lit Fests. In fact, we made a list here.
The fest is online for many reasons:
Some people are unable to travel because of personal reasons like jobs, exams and caregiving.
Others are unwilling - they don’t want to deal with the hassle of travel
Yet others abhor the crowds and chaos of physical Lit Fests (like the quiet mountain dwellers at the Himalayan Writing Retreat [Link]).
Lit fests explode in winter's glow ❄️📚—3-4 months — then BAM! A literary Sahara sucks the fun dry till next season. 🏜️ (at least for those unwilling to travel to the mountains. Or the southern Hemisphere)
Online means fewer flights and a smaller carbon footprint.
The Laid-back Lit Fest allows everyone to engage online with Artists and talented craftspeople throughout the year, irrespective of the weather, without ever leaving their home. You chat with authors who have done research and understand things deeply, and many others.
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Life is full of tough choices already. Concurrent sessions are yet another difficult choice. We want to reduce FOMO, so we don’t want anyone to miss out on anything.
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At this point, no. We are open to any suggestions or ideas you may have. You can send us your suggestions here.
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We had to start somewhere. We are open to any suggestions or ideas you may have. You can send us your suggestions here.
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We just figured that will be a good frequency. We are open to any suggestions or ideas you may have. You can send us your suggestions here.
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No. There is a preselected set of books that we have available that we will have signed and shipped. There may be some (but not all) books by a particular participating author in our store.
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We have tied up with Dragonfly Reads to start with. They will have our authors sign copies, and then will ship them to your home.
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No. You cannot sign up for individual sessions.
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No. We offer no discounts.
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Flipkart and Amazon are incredible conveniences. However, we love traditional bookstores and want to encourage them.
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Yes. You can reach out to Dragonfly Reads directly on:
Store number: +91 9741300789
Pavithra: +91 8971243632.
Store Hours
Monday - Friday: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday – Sunday: 9:30 AM – 9:00 PMMore details on their contact us page.
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No
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Yes. We welcome your inputs. You can send us your suggestions here.
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The Himalayan Writing Retreat has started this Lit Fest. Click here to know more about us.
Created in 2016, The Himalayan Writing Retreat is today a favoured destination for readers looking for solitude and like-minded people. It is also a second home to writers, poets and other creators looking for learning and inspiration. The retreat is a residential facility located in the Kumaon region of the Indian Himalayas. The retreat is consistently rated 5-star. It was co-founded by published authors Chetan Mahajan and Vandita Dubey. The Himalayan Writing Retreat caters to domestic as well as International audiences. While it hosts most of its courses in the Himalayas, in 2025 it also hosted events in the UAE and Mongolia. The domestic courses include poetry, creative writing, non-fiction writing, Hindi writing, translation, storytelling, script-writing, film-appreciation etc. Our faculty members, in alphabetical order, include Annie Zaidi, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Devdutt Pattanaik, Dibakar Banerjee, Gurcharan Das, Jerry Pinto, Manav Kaul, Ranjit Hoskote, Shekhar Kapur, Varun Grover and others. International Faculty members include Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Erika Krouse, Kathleen Rooney and others from the USA, Rana Dasgupta and Jacqui Lofthouse from the UK, and Kelly Rigby from Australia.
Many of our Alums have gone on to study overseas. The Himalayan Writing Retreat is also one of the selected partners for the French Residency under the “Villa Swagatam” initiative of the French Institute. Our Charitable initiative, the First Draft Club, supports the NGO-run Chirag School and early-stage writers. We raise approximately 1/3 of the school’s annual budget through the First Draft Club and other fundraising activities.
To support writers, we run the Himalayan Emerging Writers Residency andalso the HWR Khozem Merchant non-fiction fellowship.
Our Book Club with 550+ members is also free.
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Most physical Lit Fests have sponsors and, therefore, are able to subsidise the participant fees. The Laidback Lit Fest has no sponsor, and so we charge a nominal amount of INR 500 from our participants to make this Lit Fest possible.
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The funds collected through the small fee we charge go into organising the Lit Fest. Any leftover amount goes to support aspiring authors by way of the residencies and subsidised events that HWR offers.
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That is probably because it is not readily available now. Hopefully, the author in question turns up at an event / physical list fest, and you have it signed there.
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We host reading retreats 3-4 times every year. During these reading retreats, participants come to the retreat to find solitude, silence and read. They also find like-minded people and excellent hospitality.
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All writers stumble. Many of us hit the same roadblocks. Writers – like all humans - benefit from community. It helps us to know that we didn’t stumble alone. That our struggles are not unique.
The First Draft Club is a community of writers, poets and authors. Some are first-timers, others are published and have won awards. But nobody is alone. In the FDC, we share challenges and discuss writerly topics. Some of us edit, some compose, and many write.As a part of the FDC, you also automatically get to attend the Laidback Lit Fest.
The FDC is probably India’s most interactive support group for writers. To learn more, click here.
Contact Us
Please share your suggestions / ideas / ways to improve 😊 and complaints 😔 for this lit fest with us here:
If you need to WhatsApp us, do so at 73035-16665.
Or email us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com .
PAYMENT
Scan the respective QR code to pay and register for the Laid-back Lit Fest
Domestic
Rs.590
(500 +GST)
UPI ID
6395610141@hdfc
International
USD 10
