New Delhi, Dec. 6 -- With the cohort of writers, thinkers and artists being more or less the same at the many art and literature events across India, location becomes all the more important, and probably the differentiator. Last weekend, Kochi's Subhash Park, with its view of the sparkling waters of Cochin Harbour and Vembanad Lake, was a beautiful venue for Manorama Hortus-if you got bored of all the talking, you could take a walk by the sea. In Meghalaya, the cherry blossom season is the perfect foil for its Shillong Literary Festival, providing pastel shade beside a placid lake.

Perhaps the most vibrant yet charming venue for an arts festival is the city of Panaji, which hosts the Serendipity Arts Festival every year and will do so fo...