The Khushwant Singh Literary Festival debuts in Oxford, uniting voices from India and the UK in a celebration of literature, heritage, ecology, and dialogue amid a time of global uncertainty. The #Newsdesk reports…

The Khushwant Singh Literary Festival debuted in Oxford with its seventh edition, themed “Humanity Across Borders.” Featuring Indian and UK voices like Keshava Guha, Matt Ridley, and Sunetra Gupta, the event explored ecology, heritage, pandemic origins, and Indo-British cultural history. A partnership with Oxford University and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development emphasized literary diplomacy, celebrating Khushwant Singh’s enduring legacy.

The Khushwant Singh Literary Festival (KSLF), now in its seventh London edition, made a resounding debut in Oxford with a powerful message of building bridges during a time of strife and struggle.

The event brought to life many of Khushwant Singh's passions and concerns: the preservation of our heritage and ecology, cross-national ties—particularly between India and Pakistan—and the poetry of South Asia.

A Leap from Kasauli Hills 

As KSLF staged its seventh edition in collaboration with Oxford University and the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development—among many other partners—the entire dialogue and narrative paid tribute to the prolific and iconoclastic author Khushwant Singh’s values. This year’s theme: “Humanity Across Borders.”

The first session featured young Indian novelist and literary agent Keshava Guha, who discussed his second book, The Tiger’s Share, with novelist and Somerville alumna Francesca Kay. The book explores contemporary Delhi society, painting a disturbing yet engaging picture of ecological disaster and familial rivalries.

Matt Ridley discussed his latest book, Birds, Sex and Beauty, a witty and elegant exploration of recent evolutionary theory, with renowned infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Sunetra Gupta. Ridley, the grandson of Edward Lutyens, spoke about his grandfather’s close ties with Khushwant Singh’s father, Sir Sobha Singh. In the ensuing discussion, the panellists examined the possible origin of the COVID-19 virus—particularly the lab-leak theory, which Ridley supports and Gupta refutes.

Humanity Across Borders

Partnering with the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, the Oxford edition of KSLF strengthened Somerville College’s long-standing and meaningful connection with India—dating back to Princesses Catherine and Bamba Duleep Singh, daughters of Maharaja Duleep Singh, who studied at Somerville in the late 19th century and became prominent suffragettes. This legacy also includes the young Indira Gandhi, who later became India’s first woman Prime Minister.