Language & Identity:A City Written in Many Scripts

Mumbai’s literary culture has been shaped by the many languages spoken, read and written across the city. Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Hindi and English each offer a different perspective on its people, places and experiences.

Join acclaimed writer, translator and theatre critic Shanta Gokhale in conversation with Ekta Bhandari to reflect on the relationship between language, literature and the city’s evolving identity. Drawing on her work across literature, translation and theatre, as well as her book Of Ancestors and Friends: A Life with Books (July 2026), Gokhale reflects on how language shapes memory, cultural experience and our understanding of the places we call home.

The session concludes with an audience Q&A and book signing.