“The Dhaka Literary Festival (DLF), held at the historic premises of the Bangla Academy every year since 2012, is attended by over 20,000 people across numerous countries. It points to the revival of Bangladeshi literary climate and engages different cultures throughout the world. Sharaad Kuttan recounts his time at the 2016 DLF, riding through the city in what’s also known as the Rickshaw capital of the world.”

This trip to Bangladesh was in part prompted by an earlier interview I had conducted on the Holey Artisan Bakery massacre in Dhaka.

Three years later, in 2019, the Dhaka Lit Fest included me in its programme – sandwiched between a Bengali novelist Shankar and Shashi Tharoor in their alphabetical listings.

 

Gallery photos by Sharaad Kuttan.