Prayaag Akbar in Conversation with Anita Pratap at KLF 2025.

The eighth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) kicked off today at the exquisite Kozhikode beach, with a magnificent session featuring acclaimed author and journalist Prayaag Akbar in conversation with award-winning journalist Anita Pratap on the topic “Torn Allegiances: Mother India and the Politics of Identity”

The session, moderated by Anita Pratap discussed the themes and ideas explored in Prayaag’s latest novel, Mother India.

Prayaag Akbar, an acclaimed journalist and author is known for his works that focus on issues of marginalisation in India. His novel, Leila, won the Crossword Jury Prize and the Tata Literature First Book Award and was adapted into a popular Netflix series.

The session began with Anita Pratap introducing Prayaag Akbar and his latest novel, Mother India. Prayaag started by explaining the inspiration behind the book.

As the session went deeper, he talked about his journey of understanding real India.  “I was interested in exploring the lives of young people in India today, who are dealing with a changing economy, technology, and social media,” he said.

Anita Pratap probed Prayaag about his research for the novel, asking, “Did you do some kind of research on this? You don’t belong to that world.” Prayaag replied, “I did a lot of research… I spent some time in Mahipalpur itself… I was also really interested in how it’s transformed.”

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Prayaag’s observations on the ever-changing life and lifestyle of India were discussed deeply in the session, as he noted, “Our cities change so fast now… especially with layers upon layers being built upon, built into each other.”

This constant flux, he argued, is reflective of India’s unfinished nature – a nation forever in the process of becoming something else.

The conversation also touched upon the themes of consumption, class, and identity in modern India as Anita Pratap stated that Prayaag’s descriptions in the books about Delhi and his neighbourhoods were so realistic.

The session also explored the impact of technology and social media on human relationships. Prayaag spoke about how the novel’s protagonist, Mayank, who works for a YouTuber deals with the complexities of online fame and identity.

“Technology is changing so much about how we interact with each other… how we interact with our bosses, how we work,” he said.

Anita Pratap also asked Prayaag about his experiences teaching creative writing at Krea University, and how he sees the changing sphere of Indian literature.

Prayaag replied, “I see a lot of young writers who are interested in exploring the complexities of modern India… they’re interested in exploring the margins, the peripheries.”

The session concluded with a wonderful discussion on the role of literature in reflecting and shaping our understanding of the world around us.

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“Literature has the power to capture the complexities, the nuances of human experience… it has the power to challenge our assumptions, to make us see the world in new ways,” Prayaag added.

The session was well-received by the audience who applauded the insightful interaction between Prayaag Akbar and Anita Pratap. The Kerala Literature Festival, presented by DC Books continues until January 26, featuring a wide range of sessions, workshops, and cultural events at the Kozhikode beach.