Compassion Not Just an Emotion: Satyarthi Opens HLF 2026
HLF featured a wide range of activities, including panel discussions, workshops, nukkad nataks, live performances and exhibitions. Several sessions saw active participation from students, writers and members of the public.
Hyderabad: "Compassion is not just an emotion, it is a disciplined and practical force. It can help solve major global problems like human trafficking, social inequality and environmental damages", said Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Hyderabad Literary Festival (HLF) 2026 here on Saturday. Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Kailash Satyarthi formally opened the festival in the presence of writers, thinkers, artists and hundreds of visitors.
Sathyarthi introduced the idea of “compassion quotient (CQ)”, stating that unlike IQ or EQ, it does not rank people as superior or inferior. Rather, it helps understand the deeper values that shape human life. He also announced plans to introduce a scientific tool to measure the CQ, calling it essential in today’s divided world.
During the inaugural session, Governor Varma inaugurated Kailash Satyarthi’s latest book ‘Karuna: The Power of Compassion’. Satyarthi said that the book reflected his five decades of work as a social activist, and shared that during this period, he helped rescue more than 1,38,000 children from child labour, trafficking and exploitation.
HLF featured a wide range of activities, including panel discussions, workshops, nukkad nataks, live performances and exhibitions. Several sessions saw active participation from students, writers and members of the public.
A highlight of the festival was a book signing session by Mir Muhammad Azmet Ali Khan, a descendant of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Osman Ali Khan. At the exhibition of photographs of his father Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, Azmet Jah signed copies of his recently released ‘H.E.H. Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur: The Life and Times of the Eighth Nizam of Hyderabad’.
Among the panel discussions was a session titled “Prioritising Palestine”, where journalists Sarah Zia and Stanly Johny discussed the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Sunita Reddy moderating the session which saw an engaged audience.
The festival hosted live band performances, street plays, and photo and artwork exhibitions, adding colour and energy to the event. Artworks of multiple Hyderabad monuments and locations, sketched and drawn by several artists, were presented at the venue.
HLF 2026 will be organised on Sunday and Monday, with panel discussions on topics like climate change and Hyderabad history.
Aditya Kumar Singh contributed to the story