News Broadcasting
Word Play Returns as Sahitya Aaj Tak Turns Delhi into a Lit Fest
MUMBAI: Delhi’s about to get a serious case of literary fever and no one’s complaining. The India Today Group organized and much-loved Sahitya Aaj Tak is back from 21 to 23 November 2025, transforming the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium into a buzzing playground of poetry, prose and performance.
Now in its latest edition, the three-day fiesta promises to be a heady mix of words, wisdom and rhythm, with over 30 celebrated voices from literature, music and performance coming together to make language sing again.
This year’s line-up reads like a who’s who of India’s creative scene Piyush Mishra, Kumar Vishwas, Imran Pratapgarhi, Varsha Singh Dhanoa, Malini Awasthi, Neha Kakkar, Namita Dubey, Manoj Muntashir, and Jasbir Jassi each bringing their unique flavour of expression to Delhi’s cultural calendar.
From soulful shayari to pop beats, Sahitya Aaj Tak 2025 is where a verse meets a voice and rhythm meets reason. Whether you’re there for Kumar Vishwas’s philosophical masterpiece Apne Apne Ram (which will feature across all three days), or Neha Kakkar’s chart-topping energy, the event promises moments that move the heart as much as they make you hum.
Adding a contemplative layer are thematic sessions like Jeewan Ki Jagrukta: Kitni Zaruri…, delving into mindfulness and awareness in today’s whirlwind life. Another highlight, Rahgeer Live…, brings together poetic voices like Marham, Deveshi Sahgal, and Rahgir, blending verse and melody into one mesmerising flow.
As always, the festival’s magic lies in its ability to make literature feel alive not confined to dusty pages or late-night screens, but performed, sung, debated and celebrated. With folk icon Malini Awasthi, Punjabi powerhouse Jasbir Jassi, and Hargun Kaur adding melody to the mix, it’s a feast for the senses as much as the soul.
Registration for the festival is now open on sahitya.aajtak.in.
So mark your calendars and charge your creative batteries because for three days this November, Delhi won’t just speak, it’ll rhyme, sing and soar.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to air live counting day coverage for five state election results on May 4
The channel is rolling out its biggest election coverage machinery yet for results day on 4th May
NOIDA: The votes have been cast. Now comes the reckoning. CNN-News18 is pulling out all the stops for results day on 4th May, when counting begins across five battleground states — West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry — in what promises to be one of the most closely watched electoral verdicts in recent memory.
The channel’s coverage, titled Battle for the States: The Verdict, kicks off at 7am and runs through the day across linear TV, connected television and YouTube. It is the culmination of CNN-News18’s multi-format editorial initiative, Battle for the States, which has tracked the polls from the beginning under the theme Road to Power.
At the operational heart of the coverage will be the Live Results Hub, the channel’s central command centre built to collate, verify and process real-time data flowing in from reporters stationed at counting centres across constituencies. The hub combines newsroom intelligence, analytics and on-the-ground reporting to deliver what the channel promises will be the fastest and most accurate results coverage in English news.
Leading the on-air charge will be primetime anchors Rahul Shivshankar, Anand Narasimhan, Aman Sharma, Nabila Jamal and Shivani Gupta. They will be joined by a wide panel of commentators including author Chetan Bhagat; GVL Narasimha Rao, senior leader of the BJP; Smita Prakash, editor of ANI; activist Saira Shah Halim; political analyst Sumanth C Raman; Abhijit Iyer Mitra, senior fellow at IPCS; Amitabh Tiwari, founder of VoteVibe; columnist Abhijit Majumdar; Nalin Mehta, managing editor of MoneyControl; political analyst Tehseen Poonawalla; senior journalist Subir Bhaumik; and political analyst Manojit Mandal.
Shivshankar, who serves as editorial affairs director at CNN-News18, set out the stakes plainly. “Counting day is one of the most watched events in the electoral cycle, where speed and credibility are tested in real time,” he said. “Battle for the States: The Verdict is built on that promise, combining ground reporting, sharp analysis and cutting-edge election technology to give viewers the clearest and fastest route to the verdict. On May 4, CNN-News18 will once again be the nation’s most trusted channel to witness democracy in action.”
Smriti Mehra, chief executive of English and Business News at Network18, framed the coverage in broader terms. “Elections are defining national events, and audiences turn to brands they trust in moments that matter,” she said. “CNN-News18 has consistently led from the front in every election coverage, and this special programming reflects the scale of our ambition and editorial strength.”
The channel has form here. It claims to have been India’s most preferred English news destination for election results for the past 20 years, covering everything from the 2024 general elections to the Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and BMC polls on the back of what it calls an “Always First, Always Right” record. Five states, one day, and a nation waiting for answers. The clock starts at 7am on 4th May.
