The Hindu Lit for Life 2026 | Here is what the speakers are taking home from Chennai

What goes into an author’s gift bag? At The Hindu Lit for Life, we showcases Chennai for the authors and moderators, many of whom fly in from across India and the world. This year’s selection brings together food, textiles and everyday objects sourced from our favourite spaces in the city. We also have a collector’s copy of the historic 1947 Independence Day edition of The Hindu: a faithful reprint of all 32 pages, exactly as they appeared on that first day of a free India. And while this hamper is curated for panellists, here are the details if you want to build, or gift, your own and need ideas.

Filter coffee

By Beachville Coffee Roasters: Beachville Coffee Roasters has packaged its signature, dark, fragrant filter coffee. Divya Jayashankar, who runs the roastery says, “the blend is 100% Arabica, with no robusta and no chicory.” It is roasted fresh and ground just before packing. Each pack makes three cups of coffee and includes simple brewing instructions, allowing authors to try it without any special equipment. “The idea was that authors could take back a little piece of Chennai and actually taste filter coffee the way we like it,” Divya says.

Available at Beachville Coffee Roasters on St Marys road, Alwarpet ₹700 for 250 gms. The cafe also sells bottles of ready-made decoction if you want to make your morning brew simpler.

Dhristi coasters

By Amar Ramesh: City photographer Amar Ramesh’s latest book, Kolli Kannu: Drishti Paintings of Tamil Nadu, made its debut at a Hindu Lit For Life Unplugged event a couple of months ago. “Over the last 15 years, I kept shooting pictures of these drishti symbols, simply because it was interesting. When I saw the collection of images I had shot over the years, that I decided to work on putting it all together,” he says, adding “The core of my work is about packaging local culture for a global audience.” While such visual elements are often confined to walls or ritual contexts in India, he sees potential in translating them into everyday objects. The coasters are a way of allowing a familiar cultural symbol to move beyond the frame of a book or photograph.

While the coasters are not commercially available, Amar’s book Kolli Kannu: Drishti Paintings of Tamil Nadu is on sale at www.maralabs.in for ₹ 2400

Savoury podi cookies

By Rickey’s Cookies: Chef Karthikeyan of Rickey’s Cookies has been busy baking a large batch of fresh podi cookies for the festival. We love his giant cookies, which are great for gifting – but honestly even better for eating yourself, especially the Golden Eye with Venezuelan chocolate and fleur de sel. For the hamper, he’s creating an unusual savoury bake rooted firmly in South Indian flavours. “We wanted to give something local,” says Karthikeyan explaining that the cookie draws inspiration from karuveppilai. Curry leaf podi is folded into the dough, along ginger oil — a deliberate choice meant to echo the familiar pairing of podi with oil. “We’ve balanced it with butter so the gingelly oil doesn’t overpower the palate,” he explains. Chosen for its sense of place, the podi cookie reflects the city through taste rather than novelty.

The podi cookie is available on rickyscookies.com at ₹230 per cookie.

Caramel toffee

By The Farm: The caramel toffees are made from scratch at The Farm, a well-loved Chennai-based farm-to-table restaurant and dairy farm that has been operating since 2009. “We are primarily a dairy farm,” says Shalini Philip, owner. “We keep cows and buffaloes on the farm and use only the milk from our dairy to make our products.” Unlike most caramel sweets, which rely largely on sugar, The Farm’s caramel toffees are made with milk. “It becomes a showcase of our land and our world,” Shalini explains. Made entirely with milk from the farm’s own dairy, the toffee reflects both its agricultural roots and its urban setting.

Toffees from The Farm are available on their website thefarmchennai.com or on WhatsApp 9384677571. Four pieces are ₹300.

Madras Checks Handkerchiefs

By Sundari Silks: The Madras Checks handkerchiefs draw on a textile tradition that predates the city. Sundari silks is a legacy Chennai brand, with a loyal following for its well curated collection of silk saris and thoughtful collaborations. (The latest is with Puducherry designer Naushad Ali). The handkerchiefs created specially for the festival hampers let you tuck a little bit of old Madras into your pocket. Known by many names, including George cloth, Guinea cloth and Bleeding Madras, the fabric has a long history rooted in cotton weaving along the Coromandel Coast. Characterised by simple criss-cross checks in bright or earthy colours, the fabric travelled widely through trade centuries. Over time, it became one of the region’s most recognisable textile signatures, valued for its lightness, breathability and everyday utility. The handkerchief format keeps that history intact without ornamentation. It is practical, portable, and meant for daily use.

While this handkerchief is made to order, you can browse Sundari Silk’s collection at 36, N Usman Rd, T. Nagar, 

Calendars by Wild Tamil Nadu: The 2026 calendar draws from Wild Tamil Nadu, a landmark wildlife documentary directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Kalyan Varma with support from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. The film documents the State’s extraordinary ecological diversity from rainforests and coastlines to dry grasslands through the lens of its five classical Sangam landscapes: Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal and Palai. Shot over four years by a South India–based team, it captures both iconic wildlife and lesser-seen species. The calendar extends this visual archive beyond the screen, offering authors a year-long reminder of Tamil Nadu’s landscapes.

While the calendar is not commercially available, Wild Tamil Nadu will be screened at The Hindu’s Lit for Life on January 18 from 10.30am to 11.30am and 3pm to 4pm.

Published – January 16, 2026 07:51 pm IST