“What does Truth mean in the Age of Algorithms?” is a question that resonated at the inaugural session Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest 2025

Quotes

When talking about what truth means and how one can arrive at it from a scientific lens, Venki Ramakrishnan said, “Science is groping your way towards the truth. There is only a method that we all agree on, and that method issues results that we then establish as the truth. And that truth is always provisional. When new information comes to light that disproves or extends what you thought, then you just incorporate that. You don’t stick to it - it’s not dogma or a religion. And we can expand upon the idea of the truth - it can become something that grows and builds upon itself. And sometimes, it drastically changes.”

While talking about combining truth with the idea of trust, Christian Stöcker added, “Let me introduce another term to the conversation - propaganda. If you look at old manuals for propaganda, they contain the central tenet of conveying ideas that you want your citizens to believe in. But another main goal, especially in foreign propaganda, is not to make us believe something is untrue, but to undermine the idea that the truth can be known. And this is undermining trust. For instance, undermining trust in the scientific process is something we’ve been witnessing for decades when it comes to climate change.”
He further mentioned the role of social media in this information ecosystem by saying, “The core design principle of social media platforms is not information ecosystem but harvesting attention and optimising engagement and not the truth. It’s gauging how many people will interact with it, how many more likes and shares the post will garner engagement that emotionalises people. Negative emotions act best. You are moving in outrage-optimised environments. If you hear something a lot of times, you do believe it. These are breeding grounds for disinformation.”

Adding his own unique perspective as a novelist, Shehan Karunatilaka said, “I wonder if the idea of a singular narrative is also a lie we wrap ourselves up in. And I also wonder if it’s the domain of just us writers and artists. And I’m not sure if sciences, commerce or business are immune to this. I think there are multiple narratives, and I think my job is to present these multiple narratives. I have no solutions for you but I would say the least we can do is present the narratives as best as we can. That’s why you create different characters with multiple narratives. You should have alternative views.”

Summary

Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2025 was inaugurated by festival co-directors Amy Fernandes and Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Mr Nadir Godrej and Mr Khushroo Suntook (Chairman - NCPA). The inauguration paid tribute to the legacy of Anil Dharker, the founder of Literature Live! While Amy Fernandes and Mr Suntook reminisced about the inception of Mumbai’s very own literature festival, Mr Godrej recited his original poetry about Literature Live! and Anil Dharker. Meanwhile, Quasar Thakore Padamsee walked the audience through what to expect in the next three days of the 16th edition - from book launches, workshops, interesting panel discussions to enthralling performances. 

This was followed by TRUTH. TRUST. TESTIMONY, where tech journalist and professor of digital communications, Christian Stöcker, Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka, and Nobel Laureate, scientist and author Venki Ramakrishnan discussed the relevance of truth in the contemporary Age of the Individual in a panel chaired by Anish Gawande. 

Truth is taught to be universal, singular, unchallengeable, and empirical. Families, friends, doctors, lawyers and influential people are trusted to be telling us the truth. Exceptions are only made for writers and artists, who are celebrated for their ability to draw us into imaginary worlds. However, the three panellists provided their own unique perspectives to the session, discussing how truth is not static but changes as we make new discoveries or understand the world better. 

From newspaper headlines and novels to social media, Twitter trends and AI, they discussed how it was simple to separate fact from fiction earlier. But now, with scrolling, clicking, and reacting, we are constantly questioning what is real. The lines between new information and untruths are blurring, and social media is becoming a breeding ground for misinformation and disinformation. 

Setting the tone for the festival, the session offered a powerful reflection on the relationship between fact and belief, testimony and trust; and why, now, more than ever, words matter.

Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest, presented by Godrej Industries Group, in association with NCPA and powered by Florintree, returned for its 16th edition this year at the NCPA. Internationally recognised as one of the most iconic literature festivals in India, Literature Live! is a celebration of literary excellence each year. Its inaugural day saw jam-packed venues with literature lovers across India convening to meet their favourite literary personalities and connect with the community at large.