Pan-India lecture series on books to begin Nov 16

A new series of lectures based on books will kickstart next week in Mumbai and the speakers list includes authors, corporate leaders, artistes and policymakers.

Launched by literary and brand consulting company The Sunflower Seeds, the series, being organised pan India throughout the year, is named 'The Lecture- insightful talks inspired by books'.

Among the speakers are Harish Bhat, brand custodian of Tata Sons; film critic Anupama Chopra; actors Divya Dutta and Samir Soni; and corporate leaders Siddharth Banerjee, Anita Bhogle, Eika Chaturvedi and Rajesh Srivastava.

Talking about the initiative, Preeti Chaturvedi, CEO of The Sunflower Seeds said, ''The lecture will bring leaders and learners on a single platform to enable readers and non-readers alike to benefit from the embedded wisdom in books and gain a deeper understanding of the world. The talks will range from business and technology, to wellness and the arts.'' Powered by partners Crossword Bookstores, Chaayos, and Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, the initiative is aimed at bridging the gap between leaders and learners through a community focused on books, she added.

Pranav Dahiya, chief of staff at Chaayos, said, ''Chaayos protects and promotes the rich heritage of chai addas and shared the vision of bringing together people from every social setting to join in for discussions on life, society and everything in between, over a cup of chai, of course!'' Harish Bhat will deliver the inaugural lecture on November 16 at Crossword Bookstore, Kemps Corner in Mumbai on the subject, ''Searching for inspiration - Powerful lessons from #Tata Stories''.

Bhat will talk about why people often seek inspiration from the pages of a book, and from engaging real-life stories which have been memorably narrated. ''In this lecture, you can expect engaging storytelling and some powerful lessons that will make you think and think again about how and why books can be one of our best lifelong sources of inspiration,'' he said.