Mumbai, October 24, 2026: The 17th edition of Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest opened at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) with a session titled “Mumbai Maketh The Man,” featuring actor Ratna Pathak Shah in conversation with author Jerry Pinto. The discussion focused on how writers draw from difficult historical moments to create fiction, exploring themes of fear, nostalgia, and the role of art in confronting uncomfortable realities.
The session centred on Pinto’s latest novel, Yuri And The City, the sequel to The Education of Yuri. Set against the backdrop of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the book delves into the complexities of family and friendship during turbulent times.
Exploring darkness and hope in fiction
Jerry Pinto reflected on the motivations behind writing about despair and darkness, stating that even in the bleakest narratives, writers maintain hope that readers will engage and that change is possible. “No writer, however despairing, gives up hope. When there is despair, when there is anger and there is darkness in the writing, it is because the writer feels that by talking about this, perhaps we will all do something about it. We will also step away from the dark,” Pinto said.
He also addressed the individual nature of fear during the 1992-93 riots, noting, “It is not possible to talk about the Muslim experience or the Hindu experience of the riots, even the Christian experience of the riots, because there is no single experience. The experience of fear is individual and specific to the person experiencing it, and each person responds differently.”
The role of nostalgia and art
Ratna Pathak Shah discussed the reluctance to depict uncomfortable realities in art, observing, “Real things happen, unhappily, offstage. But on stage, the event itself is rarely shown. So we have a natural dislike, it seems, of representing the uncomfortable in art.”
Shah also commented on the phenomenon of younger generations feeling nostalgic for a past they never experienced. “At least we could buy into that lovely little dream world at that time. Now buying into any kind of dream is so hard. So you’re borrowing nostalgia,” she said.
Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026
The session was part of the first day of Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026, which brings together writers, artists, and thinkers to discuss literature and contemporary issues. The event continues at the NCPA with a series of panels and discussions.
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