A month long Harry Potter-themed book and literature workshop, where twice a week you will get to discuss the nuances and themes, right from the universal themes like death, love and morality in the books, to various pointed discussions about specific characters. The discussion will be followed by a creative writing workshop with esteemed authors. The event is targeted at budding writers, literature junkies and Harry Potter fans, who want to improve their writing skills. On the last day, there will be a Yule Ball-styled after-party.

Guest speakers: Gurcharan Das, Sanjoy Roy, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, Parul Tyagi

Each session will have a creative writing skills discussion and assignment relating to the relevant theme.

Schedule:

July 6, Wednesday

The Sorting Hat Ceremony

The Boy Who Lived: The Universal Appeal of Harry Potter- Magic, Reason and Reality

Writing workshop: Introducing universal themes, and creating the Setting

July 9, Saturday

Friendship in Harry Potter: “Then you should have died for your friends, as we would have for you!” The Trio and the Marauders- Life and Beyond

Writing Workshop: Friends as plot devices who take the story forward

July 13, Wednesday | Sanjoy Roy

On the Power of Literature and it’s Future Scope in India

Does Reading Harry Potter Make Us Better People?: Ethics and Morality in Harry Potter

Writing Workshop: The “Message” of a Story: Should we begin a story like that?

July 16, Saturday | Parul Tyagi

Love, A Magic Like No Other: Dissecting Love in Harry Potter

Writing Workshop: Love as a central theme to most art

July 20, Wednesday

Albus Dumbledore: The Figure of the Mentor

Writing Workshop: The Figure of the Mentor as a Leading Force of a Story

July 23, Saturday | Meenakashi Reddy Madhavan

A Certain Kind of Feminism: The Contribution and Character of Hermione Granger

Writing Workshop: Creating strong female characters

July 27, Wednesday

The Harry Potter Brand: A Cinematic Journey

Writing Workshop: The movie versus book debate- The Issue of the Adaptation

July 30, Saturday | Gurcharan Das

Learn How to Write from Gurcharan Das

Fan Fiction, Pottermore, and Do We Want an Eighth Harry Potter?

August 3, Wednesday

“Death is nothing but the next great adventure”: Death in Harry Potter

Writing Workshop: Death in Literature, and People’s Response to it

August 6, Saturday

Is It Time to Criticize Harry Potter? Problems Critics Have

The Weighing of the Wands

Hogwarts Diploma Distribution

The Yule Ball