The gappas -- Marathi for chat -- are interviews, and the interest they have evoked over the last 15 years have almost made them one of the most eagerly awaited events in Mumbai's cultural calendar. The event is open to all at no cost.

Surgeon Dr Nitin Mandke, character artiste Dina Pathak, music directors Yashwant Dev and Shreedhar Phadke, psychiatrist Dr Manoj Bhatawdekar, psychologist Dr Anuradha Sohoni, plastic surgeon Dr Ravin Thatte, former BARC director V G Kulkarni will be grilled on issues ranging from creativity to swadeshi. A book fair, featuring titles from Majestic Prakashan, will also be held.

The gappas, the brainchild of Keshavrao Kothawale of Majestic Publications, were first staged in Pune in 1972, and they made their way to Mumbai in 1984. ``We are a publishing house and we sellbooks as well. Initially, because Marathi literateurs were regulars visitors at our office, the gappas revolved around literary issues. And thinking that everybody loves a good chat, we decided to stage them for the public. We thought they would be of immense interest, and we haven't been wrong,'' Ashok Kothawale, proprietor, Majestic Prakashan, told Express Newsline.

Poet and lyricist G D Madgulkar was among the first to be interviewed at the gappas. Celebrities like Asha Bhosale, Kishori Amonkar, Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Shobha De, Pupul Jaykar and the presidents of almost all Marathi Sahitya Sammelans have chatted with Mumbaiites. The organisers have had no problem keeping the exchanges going: On an average, at least 500 people attend the ten day-long programme every year. ``The audience swells and could even shoot up to 2,000 a day if it is a Shobha De we're interviewing,'' said Kothawale.

Kothawale also pointed out that ``Getting celebs to chat with the public is not the sole aim oforganising the chats. We also want people to visit the book fair and cultivate the habit of reading.''