Outlier 1: Mr. Sumant Batra

Once upon a time…a solo traveler while travelling through the mystic lands of Himachal came across

a beautiful village, Dhanachuli. He stopped by to imbibe in its fresh air, its beauty within him to be able to deal with mundane life in the city amidst pollution later. As he climbed the ladders of his career, he kept going back to the place, now looking at it more closely, understanding its culture, its people and unlike a tourist thought of preserving and building upon it a centre that would help this little place stand proudly as one of India’s cultural hubs on the global map - Mr. Sumant Batra. He is a Corporate lawyer by profession and one India’s leading ones at that.  He was the founder and managing partner of one of the top law firms Kesar Dass B. & Associates till 2011, where he now serves as Mentor and Chairman. He is a writer, a poet, a museum curator, collector and now moves on the path to philanthropy. His vision and mission towards restoring and building upon our nation’s natural and cultural heritage is what makes him, the first “Outlier” to be interviewed.

Q: First of all thank you sir for your valuable time, having this session with us?

A: The pleasure is mine.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I am a corporate lawyer and believe in doing my best at what I do. I  took my career very seriously, and with God’s grace, very early in life, reached the top. There and then as I had decided right at the beginning, I left when I was right at the top; which was to live those hobbies that were left somewhere on the way. The other face of my persona is that of a collector, I preserve even an old matchbox I find artistic. That sums up most of me.

Q: Why have you chosen Dhanachuli as a base for all your activities?

A: For me Dhanachuli was love at first sight. The day I stepped foot on it, I loved it so much that I didn’t want to go back. I build a house there in 1997.  I first built a resort there and slowly as I started the process I understood the place, its people and their enthusiasm, needs, etc and decided to do something more. That is where I slowly started dreaming of my work being more of a platform towards development of a place I love so much.

Q: What is your vision with Dhanachuli?

A: I aim to transform Dhanachuli into a smart village where economic opportunities are created out of art, culture, literature etc. It began with my resort which was lovingly created out of every antique piece of furniture I collected over the years.

Q: You left your career when you were at the peak, how difficult has it been?

A: Well, to be honest it was a tough decision, surely for the lifestyle that came along with my position, the respect and attention but I always knew I would take a decision to leave things when at a prime position. I was conscious of the choice and the limitations that came along with it. But yes even then it did hit sometimes for example when you do not get invited to the conferences you have been keynote speaker at etc. or fly first class but I look at the big picture then and my aim of doing something for a greater benefit of society and in that moment this feeling evaporates.

Q: What are the events so far conducted at Te Aroha and how has the response been?

A:  We have done a series of retreats – painters’ writers’, food, tea tasting, bloggers and others. But KLF is the first mega festival planned.

Q: Why a literature festival?

A: I am a writer and a book collector. My next museum – The Room of Classics is planned around the art of book making; also, I love reading. I admit I haven’t read as much as I should have during my work days, but I plan to do that now. Literature is an intrinsic part of culture and serves as a powerful tool to communicate. India is going through a massive transformation and her youth need guidance to comprehend this change effectively.  Writers and poets play an important role in mentoring youth. Therefore I decided to do a literature festival.

Q: What are the USPs of the Kumaon Literature Festival?

A: First of all it is not just a literature festival, but a complete experience. Firstly, we do not have the authors brought in, give the talk and then taken away in separate hotels away from the crowd. We have arranged every event such that the readers get maximum interaction time with their favorite author. You will go for walks with them, have all the meals with them, in short spend the entire duration in their company. This is one thing I personally found lacking in all literature events and I was very particular to ensure we do not have barriers between the writer and the reader.

Apart from this, there is much more for everyone to savor, for example there is Balad by Basanti Devi, Sufi songs by Harpreet Singh, performance by Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, folk dance of Kumaon, for the music and dance lover in you. A trek to old Dhanachuli and Nainital, star gazing and astrophotography workshop for the nature lover. There are also cyles sponsored by Hero and one can just pick up one and ride around the region, and get in closer proximity of the natural surroundings.

Q: What were the major challenges in putting the lit fest together?

A:  To me the single challenge has been to convince people that a world-class event can be held in a remote village. Sponsors are hard to come by. Believe you me I have received an overwhelming support

Q: You have an impressive panel of authors for each session, including many big names, was it difficult approaching any of them?

A: Surprisingly No. All the people I approached didn’t show any hitch in travelling to a destination not directly connected by air. Some were even kind enough to tell us that they would reach on their own. The support from the entire community has been enormous and that is one more reason I would love to do this activity each year.

Q: Tell us a little about future events in the Kumaon that are being planned by you?

We will champion four major festivals that will become a regular feature – KLF, Dhanachuli Film Festival, a theatre and a poetry festival.

Q: What are your favorite books?

A: To Kill a Mocking Bird, Old Man and the Sea amongst the classics, and The Second Lady and Godfather amongst thrillers. They are embedded in my memory.

Q: You have been involved in so much, what is your time management mantra?

A:  It is simple. I am an early riser. I do most of my work in the morning. I am focused and determined. I do not go for parties much instead I enjoy spending that time with my family, especially my children. I ensure I spend as much time as I can with my kids, be it taking my son for cricket or reading a book to my daughter. I also ensure I spend one day of the weekend entirely with them which keeps me happy and energized.

Q: What has motivated you the most?

A: The mantra if you work passionately and honestly you can achieve any goal.

Q: In one line you call yourself as?

A: I enjoy the journey as much as the destination but I must keep moving and doing more and more.

Q: Complete the following line: The world would be a better place if…..?

A: Successful people were humbler.

Thank you so much for your time sir, we wish you and the festival all the best.

for more details on The Kuman Literary Festival please log on to http://kumaonliteraryfestival.org/