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In this second March 2025 edition of City Scripts, we delve into Father Tongue, Motherland, a compelling exploration of how languages intertwine in South Asia. Author Peggy Mohan investigates the origins of mixed languages, questioning whether they arise from chaotic encounters between newcomers and locals or evolve through gradual integration.
Mohan’s narrative begins with Dakkhini, a language spoken in the Deccan, and traces back to the ancient languages of the Indus Valley Civilization. She examines significant migrations over millennia, revealing how these movements shaped linguistic landscapes across regions like the Ganga-Yamuna confluence and Nepal.

Through her analysis, Mohan illustrates that even as languages fade, their echoes persist in our current speech and thought, carrying the stories of ancestors long gone. Join us for an enlightening discussion with Peggy Mohan and a special guest as we uncover the intricate tapestry of language and history in Father Tongue, Motherland.

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In this March 2025 edition of City Scripts, we invite you to explore Rising Sons, a sweeping tale of caste, power and resistance set in pre-independent India. In the quiet village of Kesarugattu, Karnataka, Devaraya, a Brahmin, has carefully built his status. But as the rigid structures of caste and tradition govern life, a buried secret threatens to upend his family. As divisions sharpen, one of his sons is lost to personal tragedy, while the other is swept into the fervor of India’s freedom movement. Rising Sons is a moving exploration of familial bonds, societal constraints, and the dreams that collide with history’s turning tides. Join us for a conversation between the author Kavery Nambisan and Arshia Sattar as we uncover how this novel intertwines personal destinies with the making of a nation.
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The year-long curation of City Scripts will delve into the profound roots of our personal and public memories, histories and narratives through fiction, collections, archives, cultural practices and more.

Imagine the city as our collective garden. We nurture the seeds of our personal stories, carrying them with us and planting them in our neighbourhoods and backyards. There is always more to experience in a garden: entangled roots of our past, yellowing leaves falling with time, and the green tendrils of new ideas.  

The year-long curation of City Scripts will delve into the profound roots of our personal and public memories, histories and narratives through fiction, collections, archives, cultural practices and more.

Imagine the city as our collective garden. We nurture the seeds of our personal stories, carrying them with us and planting them in our neighbourhoods and backyards. There is always more to experience in a garden: entangled roots of our past, yellowing leaves falling with time, and the green tendrils of new ideas.  

Past Sessions

Festival Partners

On Practice: Ratheesh Radhakrishnan in conversation with Rajeev Ravi​

Trisha Gupta in conversation with Girish Kasaravalli

Dibakar Banerjee in conversation with Ranjani Mazumdar

Ramana Dumpala in conversation with Zohrab Reys Gamat