Not all who write well can become writers. That's a tough pill for most young people to swallow — and tougher when you don't know English. Although platforms that facilitate a discussion for literature tend to surface every now and then in the city, the lack of representation for non-English writers is evident.

"When we started the festival, a lot of young authors who came to attend it would tell us that they were writing but there was no platform for them to discuss their works. Everyone went for big names," says Mohan Kakanadan, festival director of the Gateway LitFest (GLF) that is slated for this weekend at the NCPA. For its fifth edition this year, the focus is on the youth.