Do You Know When Is The Famous And Latest Edition Of South Asian Literature And Art Festival Happening This Year?

The 4th Annual South Asian Literature and Art Festival commit to making a lasting impact through contemporary programs.

Literature and Art can take you back in time to learn about life on Earth from the ones who walked before us. As a result, we can better understand and appreciate the culture. We know through recorded history via writing or visual communication, in the forms of manuscripts, and through speech. Literature influences and makes us understand every walk of life.

Founded in 2019, Art Forum SF is back with a bang to present the in-person 2022 South Asian Literature and Art (SALA) Festival. The vision is bold; the theme is “Humanity,” to examine how the world has categorized each other into boxes, a community of different colors, classes, and castes.

Telling stories is a common human nature. Literature lies at the core of life and inner world experiences. The knowledge of other people’s lives in time and space often influences thoughts and opinions on unexperienced issues. Reading good books or writing them allows an inner experience of the world that would take more than a hundred lifetimes. SALA Festival aims to examine and celebrate different points of view but also recognize that, ultimately, humanity triumphs. 

Montalvo Arts Center and Art Forum SF present the SALA festival in partnership with Stanford Center for South Asia & UC Berkeley Institute for South Asian Studies.

Date October 29-30th, 2022, |Noon – 6:30 pm.

Place Montalvo Arts Center, 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga, CA.

Audiences can participate in discussions with authors and attend the book signing.

Art Forum SF is a not-for-profit that strives to define and promote all art forms emerging from South Asia. Art Forum SF endeavors to present the visual, the literary, and the

performing arts in their various versions, thus enabling a broader reach for South Asian voices. The featured artists and writers in the panels are as follows:

Contemporary Art Walk features artist & director of the South Asian Creative Collective in NY, Jaishri Abichandani, artists Annu Matthew, Ranu Mukherjee, and Sara Ahmad. 

In addition, SALA Festival offers an opportunity to interact with the art institute founders, Dr. Shireen Ahmad & Dr. Afzal Ahmad, both pioneers who have committed their collections toward a significant cause.

Contemporary Writers Row to showcase eminent authors like Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ayad Akhtar, Booker prize-winning book translator Daisy Rockwell, and Emmy nominated Vikram Chandra. Famous authors like Alka Joshi, Chaitali Sen, Devi Laskar, Sorayya Khan, Amit Majmudar, Jenny Bhatt, Rahul Mehrotra, and Zuni Chopra have made a mark on the contemporary literature arena in the US. Hard-hitting discussions with Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Dr. Suraj Yengde, and journalist Salil Tripathi. Question the inclusivity of performance space with musician TM Krishna.

Epicurean Highlights presents food scientists’ take on South Asian cuisine by prominent author Nik Sharma, Chef Kauser Ahmed from Karachi Kitchens and Chef Preeti Mistry, Sonia Chopra, Bon Appetit, and Conde Nast Editor alongside cookbook author Madhushree Ghosh. The Fiery Tales of the Great Indian Kitchen: Tales of Regional Cuisine with Chitrita Banerjee, Vina Patel, and Hetal Vasavada. Engage in a panel discussion of Wine Shine and Chicken Khurana with executive Chef Ajay Walia, Michelin Star restaurant, Chef Ranjan Dey, Neeta Mittal, and Ettan Restaurant owner Ayesha Thapar.

At SALA Festival, gather to hear the direct defiance of the eminent Indian actress Swara Bhasker.

More Highlights include poetry reading curated by Shikha Malaviya featuring Amit Majmudar, Monica Korde, Monica Mody, Preeti Vangani, Sarah Mohammad, and Urvashi Bahuguna. The Art Exhibition features local artists Chandrika Marla, Tanya Momi, and sculptor Priyanka Rana. The Marketplace includes Garima Shoes, The Peacock Avenue, Marigold and Saeyri, Pragati Sharma Mohanty, hands-on activities like Henna and Rangoli, children’s crafts, dance, music, painting, food, and a bar will offer beer, wine, and soda.

Don’t miss an opportunity post-2022 Diwali to give your family a gift of unique experience and soak into the world of literature and arts.