This weekend was a true literary treat! From the eloquent words of Dr. Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Varma, to the soul-stirring poetry of Shikha Malviya, from learning about the fascinating history of spirits and wine to being enthralled by Javed Akhtar Ji’s profound thoughts and interaction with students — every session left me deeply inspired.
As I soaked in this world of ideas, I found myself wishing the weekend would last longer — just to take in more of this beautiful blend of literature, art, and history.
One moment that stayed with me was a powerful question posed by Dr. S. B. Mujumdar, the Founder of Symbiosis and a passionate advocate of liberal arts education:
Can humanities and science be taught together?
It’s a question that goes to the heart of how we think about education today.
During his talk, Dr. Shashi Tharoor mentioned a striking piece of research by Oxford University scholars: among identified terrorists, almost 92% were engineers. His point was not to single out a profession, but to highlight how a purely technical education — without exposure to the liberal arts — can sometimes limit critical thinking and empathy.
This thought resonated deeply with me.
As a medical student, I was trained to diagnose, treat, and heal — but never truly exposed to the world of literature or poetry within our curriculum. Yes, we had a vibrant Arts Circle in college that brought together a handful of students for plays and performances. Our very own BJ Medical College has given India remarkable artist-doctors like Dr. Shreeram Lagoo, Dr. Mohan Agashe, and Dr. Jabbar Patel — yet, the academic framework remained rigidly medical.
Somewhere in that process, I felt a void — a kind of incompleteness.
Perhaps it was my upbringing — being raised by teacher-parents in a home filled with books — that kept my love for reading alive. But as years went by and my medical practice became all-consuming, that beautiful habit faded away.
It was only after joining Symbiosis that I rediscovered the joy of reading and writing again.
And that made me think about today’s generation. Surrounded by gadgets, television, and endless scrolling, very few young people seem to pick up a book anymore. The decline in reading has also eroded the habit of writing — of expressing one’s thoughts through essays, stories, or even simple reflections.
That’s precisely what inspired us to start the Symbiosis Literary Festival.
We wanted to create a space where young students could meet and interact with authors, poets, lyricists, and thinkers — people who ignite curiosity and creativity. Our hope is to rekindle the habit of reading and writing among students and help them discover the joy of language, imagination, and thought.
Because in the end, it’s not just about producing professionals — it’s about nurturing thought leaders who can combine knowledge with empathy, science with art, and logic with humanity.