Bonjour India, the French LitFest 2022 and the City for All? exhibition was recently held in Delhi at Bikaner House on 7 and 8 May. During the exhibition, visitors took a curated walk, took part in an inauguration, participated in an open mic session, interacted with the City for All? exhibition, and took part in an Astro Night Sky Tourism session.

An art and culture summer festival celebrates the relationship which India and France share. The festival funded by the Government of France and supported by France Embassy is travelling 19 cities with 200+ events.

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During the French LitFest 2022, eminent French authors, graphic novelists, and children’s writers brought forth a French literary weekend filled with round tables and debates on contemporary French literature and poetry at the prestigious Bikaner House.

The French LitFest 2022 was inaugurated by Ms. Eva Nguyen Binh, President of Institut Français, France, and Ms. Mugdha Sinha, Secretary of Science and Technology, Government of Rajasthan on 7 May, at Bikaner House.

As part of the French LitFest 2022, French authors are travelling across India to meet their readers and exchange with Indian authors and publishers. People meet the authors touring in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Pondicherry, Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh. The authors included: Tiffany Tavernier, François-Henri Désérable, Patricia Loison, Marie Darrieussecq, Patrick Weil, Marie Desplechin, Simon Lamouret, Anaïs Depommier, Cyril Nguyen Dinh, Christine Jordis, and Jul Berjeaut

The LitFest started with a round table discussion around Trends of Contemporary French Literature with three famous French authors who discussed what it means to be a woman, an author, and “vagabonds” of the world.

The three authors were Christine Jordis who was born in Algiers, Patricia Loison in Delhi, and Marie Darrieussecq in Bayonne. Three countries, three identities, one love: literature! During the round table, the three authors conversed with Arunima Mazumdar.

Interesting literary talks at bookstores were also organised as part of the French LitFest 2022.

The Night of Film and Literature was held on the evening of 8 May with author and screenwriter Tiffany Tavernier.

Visitors discovered novel solutions that can make public spaces more accessible to women and transgender people. They enjoyed a curated walk with artist and architect Swati Janu, an open mic session with poets as well as an Astro Night Sky tourism session.

Five days before the exhibition, 6 pin-up maps of Delhi were created across 6 Delhi neighborhoods: CR Park, Sundernagari, Lajat Nagar, Janakpuri, Badarpur, and Khirkee. The chosen neighborhoods are diverse to allow people from different backgrounds to partake in an activity. People were asked where they like to go with family and friends.

Architect and artist Swati Janu stated on the City for All? project and exhibition, “Over the past week, by interacting with thousands of people in the 6 cities, we have learned what spaces are truly inclusive and open-to-all in each city. Surprisingly, these differ from city to city. While Pune has its local hills ‘tekdis’, Bangalore has its lakes as important public spaces which are unfortunately fast disappearing. Delhi is a city of monuments which are emerging as the most popular spots for people from diverse backgrounds. India Gate is everyone’s favorite public space here in Delhi.”

“However its popularity  has sunk because it is closed for the construction of the Central Vista. While Sukhna lake in Chandigarh is a similar kind of a public space in Chandigarh, in Jaipur it turned out to be Amer Fort,” she added.

Transgender people spoke about how most beauty parlors don’t entertain them and often malls deny them entry due to their gender.