Exploring Venice, Varanasi and Music | Events Movie News

The power of Indian classical music, the ancient pulse of Varanasi, the crumbling mansions of Venice, and the long literary shadows of Thomas Mann and D H Lawrence came together one winter afternoon at Makaibari Bungalow , Taj Bengal. As a warm-up to the Literary Meet, the heritage space hosted an intimate conversation with acclaimed British writer Geoff Dyer, in dialogue with British Council East and North East Director and literary commentator Debanjan Chakrabarti, revisiting Dyer’s much-loved novel Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi.

Debanjan Chakrabarti

Malavika R Banerjee

The session unfolded over a refined high tea, with guests mingling over canapés, scones, cold-brew shots and hot second-flush tea before settling into a wide-ranging discussion that drifted effortlessly between books, travel, memory and place.

Guests mingled over tea, canapes and scones

Chakrabarti, a longtime admirer of Dyer’s distinctive writing, spoke of his ability to blur styles, genres, voices and landscapes while crafting his compelling narrative. Dyer, in turn, reflected on his long and evolving relationship with India, speaking of his deep affection for its cities, their contradictions, density and energy, and how his responses to Indian culture have shifted over time from initial disorientation to a more layered, reflective engagement. The conversation moved from literature festivals to the misty hills of Darjeeling, from prose rhythms to cultural dissonance, as the audience listened in rapt attention.