The Ramgarh Literary Festival
by Vasudev Murthy
A set of struggling and rather inept writers are invited to their very first literary festival in the practically invisible town of Ramgarh. Success seems to be swiftly passing them by. But have they finally been recognized? With no food to be had, bed bugs for companions and mysterious sounds at night, the festival begins. On a huge campus with multiple venues, panel discussions rage on - with no one in the audience. Is there more to this than meets the eye? Could this be a gigantic plot to exploit struggling authors and make money at their expense, drawing attention to the sinister cartel of publishers? Are literary festivals actually fronts for organized crime, taking advantage of writers with an inferiority complex, and of innocent readers who feel they need to rub shoulders with the 'greats'? The Ramgarh Literary Festival is a hilarious commentary on the world of lit fests that we know so well.