Sparkling conversation, wit, humour, and ideas were the order of the evening at the Hyderabad edition of The Hindu Lit for Life Dialogue 2025 on Friday (December 12, 2025) evening at the ITC Kakatiya.
The line-up began with author and historian Manu S. Pillai in conversation with culture journalist Nandini Nair, in an exploration of the ‘History as Battlefield: The Past in India’s Present’, beginning with current events in Parliament, including the debates over Vande Mataram and the use of the English language.
The Hindu Lit for Life Dialogue 2025 returns to Hyderabad on Dec. 12 for an evening of conversation and ideas
Discussing the feminine gaze and feminism in history, Mr. Pillai explained how it was ignored in the time of the British-era historian Jadunath Sarkar, an early specialist on the Mughal dynasty. “They understood the harem as a place where women would be lolling around, gossiping, wearing silks, and waiting endlessly. But now, we know harems were intense political spaces where women could plot and scheme,” said Mr. Pillai, explaining how the events of history remained the same, even as the perception and exploration of those events changed over time.
Author Neha Dixit, in conversation with Kavitha Buggana, shared how the women she spoke to while researching her book, The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian, had revealed graduated amounts of information. Ms. Syeda had been a weaver in Varanasi, but her loom was burnt down after the Babri Masjid demolition, forcing her to migrate to Delhi. Over the next 30 years, she worked 50 different jobs and yet never earned even one-fifth of the legal daily wage.
