Testimonials 2020

Dear Niloufer and Rahul, 

Hi Niloufer, seriously a thousand 👏 for what you & Rahul have created & curated this year. The NDTV coverage was 💯 & fabulous profiling for KSLF.

‘The Khushwant Singh Digital Series’ really should run & run….like the TED Talks. The kudos of being included in such an archive of progressive thought is as much for today’s learning as to history’s understanding.

Thank you greatly for Pico Iyer – that session is such a gift.

And ‘WOW’ you have brought together a super ‘homegrown’ social media team. Full of life. Working together they undoubtedly will grow the KSLF footfall year on in.

I loved watching this and have done so several times and indeed the other items you sent me. I hope I can be there in the flesh as they say next time

Wow. What a line up. Best wishes Nilofer.

Loved the walking conversation and Zakaria.
Listening to Pico tonight.. Well done

Fantastic, Nil. Truly wonderful how you’ve conceptualized, initiated and made this such a prominent lit fest in Rahul’s dad’s memory! Look forward to attending virtually! 💕

Watched Sudha Murthy and Pico Iyer last night, Nil. They’re brilliant. Congratulations! So impressed. Always wanted to attend the KSLF but couldn’t… now, although sadly it’s not in Kasauli, it’s still fab and great to be able to watch from anywhere in the world 🌎! Lots of love and thanks for making this available to everyone. Have been spreading the word 💕

Wow!! All the best Niloufer to you and Rahul . It’s amazing what a sought after event you guys have made this into!

Niloufer what a fantastic festival you n Rahul have curated yet again! And as always how brilliant Pico Iyer’s talk was! Ankita Mukherji did a great job interviewing him. I hope you’ll be putting this talk online on your site as Pradip missed it and I’d so love to see it again!

Congratulations Niloufer good sessions

Thanks – loved the Pico Iyer session! I’m a huge fan too. Ankita did an excellent job. 👏👏👏
Looking forward to the remaining sessions. Great job Niloufer! 👍🏼

Brilliant stuff sweetheart. Each and every session so cleverly crafted by you. The Expert of Lit Fest Content and Presentation..

Dear Niloufer,
You did a great job in organizing KLF on-line.  It is not always possible for me to tune in, in real time because I’m still working.  Is there any chance there is a recording to which we can have access to listen when we can?

Congratulations for the first digital edition of KSLF. That’s the way to go. All the best for a super successful digital KSLF.

Finally got to watch it……..superb as usual.

Best wishes to you both.

Niloufer, congratulations on pulling off an amazing lit fest amidst the pandemic.  The digitization, the speakers and today, the NDTV connection- I’ve not seen anyone else do quite as much.

I wasn’t able to tune in previously as I had to have cataract surgery but will go “20th Century” and watch on NDTV.

Dearest Niloufer and Rahul,

Congratulations on a very successful digital Khushwant Singh Literary Festival. Going digital certainly enabled me to enjoy the Festival and I am sure that goes for many others who may not have had the pleasure of attending the Festival before. Each of the speakers spoke from the heart and touched chords in their listeners’ hearts. Apart from that they were so knowledgeable and able to create an awareness of their subject in their listeners . You certainly managed to collect a bevy of very articulate speakers.

Thank you again for all the trouble you and your team have taken to present a very meaningful Festival.

Brilliant and so well orchestrated…and what talks!
Congratulations…
Loved it and missing you all A LOT!!!

Dear Niloufer & Rahul
Congratulations to both of you for organising such a brilliant Digital KSLitFest .We are pleased with the presentation . The quality is beautiful and reflects lot dedication and hard work
Looking forward to tomorrow’s session . We are both watching on YouTube on our big screen
Our best wishes

What a brilliant tribute by Fareed Zakaria to Khushwant Singh – right from the bottom of his heart
Grateful for such an insight

Dear Rahul and Niloufer,

Thanks very much for the excellent sessions in the KSLF. I listened to all of them. Very invigorating.

Congratulations on this success.

Best wishes.

Dear Niloufer & Rahul
Many congratulations – this must be your best ever festival – I’ve watched Pico Iyer and Sudha Murthy and what superb interviews – Mrs Murthy – what an incredible woman- and so down to earth inspite of her husband’s billions
All your hard work has paid off!!
I look forward to seeing Fareed Zakaria today – We do follow him on CNN –
thanks again – take care – love

Thanks, Niloufer. I followed most of the sessions and enjoyed each one thoroughly—only sad not to have been able to attend the festival in person at least once. Looked lovely and the sessions were all v. well run. Rahul’s intros were excellent, succinct and relevant and the sessions all ran on time and the moderators were knowledgeable. I liked Fareed, Sudha Murty, and Shobha De (whose columns i usually detest!)—they were all captivating. Now waiting to catch Amitav when he gets put on by You Tube. Thanks and congratulations on a magnificent project. 

The first digital edition of the festival was handled with finesse.

The KSLF was a grand success. Congratulations!

Warm regards,

What a great interaction with Fareed Zakaria. Immensely enjoyed his views. Pragmatic, candid and worth following.  But then the DNA of these guys who want to push India backwards will prevent our ascent.

God bless the Republic. Love. 

All the very best with KSLitFest 2020 about which we learnt today while casually browsing the internet! Please accept our donation transferred into the HDFC Bank account.
Thanks,

Wonderful Rahul it was a vitamin for me who’d been plundered with steroids antibiotics blood thinners list sounding like a chemist shop…… both sessions were a great treat & I’m glad both showed the mirror to the lack of empathy & disaster management on behalf of the government & was not aware at the 💯cr collected for Nirbhaya & nothing done…!! But thank you Rahul & Niloufer & congratulations for the stupendous effort that you must’ve put into keeping the festival going despite Covid….. it’s time for it to go leaving behind a more sensitive & educated knowledgeable public…..fond love & regards to both you & NILOUFER …👍👍👏👏👏👏

Congratulations Niloufer and Rahul on pulling off the first ever Digital KSLitfest at such a short notice. For me it was a privilege and pleasure to listen on all three days. Have a good rest and cherish the joy of achievement.

We saw all the sessions of the KSLF and found them very stimulating and inspiring. Thanks for a great fest and we will definitely come to Kasauli for the next one. I hope to make it a combined trip to Simla and revisit my early childhood memories as well!

A massive hearty congratulations to you all for a very professional looking & fascinating LitFest. So much learnt.
There’s no going back- now space for both formats in KSLF’s year. Very proud. And delighted I can share this side of the world

Niloufer, happy to report that I watched almost all of the lit sessions, though missed out on the second half of the mountaineers’ conversation. What a Herculean effort that must have been as well as a logistical feat. Congrats to you and Rahul. Two immediate reactions. The most engrossing session for me was the one with Pico Iyer and friend—the latter spoke little but his interventions were pointed and thoughtful—and Ankita Mukherjee was most impressive. I’ve always been struck by her verbal felicity and poise. Iyer was, as I expected him to be, serenely articulate. But the one quote that stood out for me from all of the sessions came from Harsh Mander. When talking about his interactions with migrants and the deprived, he said he had asked them what was the most difficult thing they had had to do. One of them replied, “To have to tell our children that there would be some nights when they would have to go hungry.” I paraphrase. But it made me feel ashamed that such stark poverty still prevails in a country that aspires for a place at the global high table. I presume I can listen in again to some of those conversations on youtube. Love

Participated in lit fest. Enjoyed. Khushwant singh was our household name. The only magazine that came home from our childhood until the publishing stopped my dad all my sibling read every page in Illustrated weekly. My knowledge of politics travel social living etc started from him. We revered him with respect.

“Great organisation Niloufer. It was a wonderful session. Very illuminating.”

“Pico Iyer was too good. Ankita also did a great job. I think she appeared so erudite.”

“A fantastic LitFest is over. So well organised. Congrats.
I think the two top sessions was Fareed Zakaria and then the Himalayan saga. As an interlocutor Ankita and Parmesh were great.
By the way what was the attendance. Any idea. I have sent the you tube link to some friends in the US. Rahul’s intro on second and third day were excellent. In all an excellent event.”

Niloufer, Happy to report that I watched almost all of the lit sessions. What a herculean effort that must have been? Congrats to you and Rahul

Hi Niloufer & Rahul. Now that the dust has settled, just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the three evenings. The speakers and interviewers were great, and Rahul deftly put the Khushwant context in place at the start of each session. Well done guys and thanks for making it happen!!

Pico Iyer was so good . I enjoyed the sessions thanks for all the hard organising work.

Had watched his session. Very well handled by Ankita and wonderful responses. 👏👏👏

How wonderful Rahul for NDTV to air Sudha Murthy & Pico & Fareed….. will watch it again….. thank you for letting me know….. fond regards

Loved it ! Enjoyed listening to every celebrity participant and the topics chosen were a mixed bag of times gone by and of today. I enjoyed your introductory speech, your touching and warm memories of your Father. Very well organised festival, a real treat, especially for those that knew, loved and respected KS. Memories ❤️…..Youtube is a winner! Thankyou Rahul for the magic you create , year after year…💐

I heard Pico yesterday. As always he was great. I have read all his works. Thanks for organising .

How can Virtual ever match Real? Due to Covid 19 this year’s Khushwant Singh Literary Festival was virtual. The Keynote speakers today were Padma Shri Sudha Murthy , writer and Chairperson Infosys Foundation and Pico Iyer, novelist known for his travel writings.
I was touched when Mrs Murthy shared that she married Mr Narayana Murthy because he had good values and was fond of reading. He was unemployed when they got married.. She later gave him her savings of Rupees 10000 for him to start Infosys. Money came in between and that money is used to serve the poorest of the poor and helpless people. Her enduring message was everyone should run their own marathon in life.
Pico Iyer lost his house and precious belonging in a forest fire. He realised he could live with far fewer things than before. He said
“The inner economy is more important than external economy.”
“Travel with purpose to justify the carbon foot prints.”
“Covid 19 is a crash course in realism.”
“Never take on a trip is expectations.”
“The best way to beat anxiety is to look after others and train your mind.”

As I have been messaging to Niloufer, the LitFest was a great success, perhaps garnering more attendees than Kasauli. Very well organised. However, as l mentioned to you an interactive Zoom session would have been better as we have daily sessions in IIC Delhi. It could also be recorded and put on You Tube etc. But this was also great with very good sound quality. But what was best was the content. Excellent and topical. Kudos to you and Niloufer and the team.

Many Thanks for a informative lit fest enjoyed it

Dear Rahul and Niloufer:
Our heartiest congratulations on yet another outstanding edition of the Khushwant Singh Litfest, a most fitting tribute to your legendary late father, for whom I had the highest respect.
Thanks to your sincerity of purpose, drive and organisational abilities, the festival has now become a landmark event in our literary calendar, the more so in its innovative virtual format with its much wider reach.
That said, Zeyna and I regret not being able to make it to Simla all these years but hope it will be possible to join you there next year. May it go from strength to strength.
Warm regards and very best wishes,

Just watched NDTV. Very interesting and inspiring lady! And so down to earth !

Rather ironic. This was the year I would actually have been able to make the trip to Kasauli, if the pandemic had not struck 🙄😷 and I have ended up seeing the digital version !!

Dear Niloufer and Rahul
KSFL digital seems like a roaring
success! – with an enviable panel of distinguished
speakers!
Huge congratulations to both of
you for pulling this off so well!
Best wishes for continued success!

Dear Rahul and Niloufer,
Thank you for the invite and links to the KS Lit fest in its digital form. I enjoyed each session vastly and would like to congratulate you for a splendid show.
Thank you.

Very lovely experience.
Attended all.
Thank you.

Dear Rahul,
Thanks and congratulations you for your wonderful show of First Digital Edition 2020, Khushwant Singh Lit Fest on theme “A New Life”
I remember when I first went and met you.
I love to join again.
All the best.
Fond of love 

Dear Rahul and Niloufer

Congratulations on organising such an impressive and entertaining KSLF digitally – truly covering the world! We greatly enjoyed the sessions we were able to join and took away many thought-provoking ideas (and also interesting anecdotes!)

It must have been a truly challenging task to organise such a wide-ranging programme. For us, averagely aged technologically experienced digital users, the format worked with remarkable ease and clarity. Very impressive!

To encounter the Mother-in-Law of our Chancellor of the Exchequer was fascinating (and of course her experience and wisdom in philanthropy especially interesting to me with my Charity Commission background).

We hope you have plans for London – digitally? Or in person once the pandemic allows free travel again?
Meanwhile congratulations and best wishes

I was telling Rahul I am really impressed how well you guys have fabulously managed the digital transition and kept the profile and buzz around the event

Loved the keynote Pico session👌👏

Thank you. I was so happy to be able to watch this. It makes one think …

Fareed Zakaria was excellent! Do send the recording of his talk to the Universities and colleges… that will be a great service. Thanks once again . Love to Niloufer.🌺

Many thanks, watched it a little while ago. Very interesting and informative.

Zakaria talked a lot of sense – specially in the context of the present day situation. Sudha Narayan Murti and Chetan Bhagat too we’re very impressive yesterday.

Impressive. Heard the Fareed interview again on television. Such a pleasure to see it on the big screen because I realise I missed out on a lot the first time around.

Dear Rahul,
KSLF, in its digital avatar, was an exciting experience. While we lost on the interaction that came from being in Kasauli, I felt that we gained by how well we could concentrate on the discussion to the exclusion of everything else.
My compliments to Niloufer, you and your team for putting together such a great show.
Warm regards,

Congratulations, very interesting line up and enjoyed both Shobha De and Amitav sessions. Digital worked fine, Well done!

Hey missed it live but just have started enjoying some of the talks of the Kushwant Singh lit fest on YouTube. Great going Niloufer and Rahul. Friends you must watch talks that interest you.

Hello Niloufer!

This is Jehangir and Binaifer from Poona, friends of Kirti’s amma. We watched the virtual Khushwant Singh litfest and would like to congratulate you and Rahul. It was such a great experience and we realised what we have been missing each year. Hopefully some day we will join you in Kasauli. Are you in Bombay these days? It will be lovely to see you when we are there. We realize Serena has also now moved permanently to Bombay. We don’t have her contact but please tell her that we remember her and think of her. Do take care.

Was following the Litfest on FB. Congratulations!! What a humongous effort.
Three Cheers….💃🏻