The fabled Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) is all set to return with its 17th edition to Rajasthan’s capital. A melting pot of ideas, conversations, book launches, and lively debates on all things pertinent and popular, it has grown to become one of the biggest, most-awaited literary extravaganzas around the world.
This year, over 250 writers, luminaries, politicians, academics, journalists, and subject experts will be discussing themes as diverse as climate change, parenting in the digital age, migration, cancel culture, the impact of tech in publishing, and the politics and the horrors of war.
To be held at Clarks Amer from February 1-5, the festival has something for everyone. A spirited mega-mela— visitors should expect scrumptious food, stellar musical performances, and tiny, shiny stalls of homegrown, boutique brands. To help you choose from the extensive, overstuffed menu, here’s a low-down of the highlights that are sure to pull the biggest crowds.
Irrfan: A Life in Movies
JLF usually goes big on Bollywood, inviting anyone it can possibly thread to literature (or even otherwise). However, since the pandemic, it has gone back to the basics, trimming the brouhaha and focusing on its core promise. This is probably the only session with people from the Hindi film industry discussing one of their own.
Filmmaker
Vishal Bhardwaj and theatre actor Sutapa Sikdar, who is also Irrfan’s wife, will be in conversation with film critic Shubhra Gupta about her new book
Irrfan: A Life in Movies. Slated for the prime-time Sunday evening slot, the session is dedicated to the late actor—his artistry, magic, and cinema. Though it will be held at the spacious Front Lawn, if you want to attend, secure a seat at least an hour or two in advance. You won’t find any or even a decent place to stand later.
Kanan Gill on his debut novel Acts of God
After starring as the lead in the Norwegian romantic comedy Christmas As Usual last December,
Kanan Gill is out with his first novel
Acts of God. An homage to the oversaturated genre of science fiction, it has all the classic Kanan elements—existential angst, lots of questions, and observational humor packaged neatly in pointed storytelling. If you’re bummed about his stand-up show in Jaipur getting cancelled at the last minute, this is your chance to catch him live.
When Chai Met Toast
The multilingual indie-folk alternative band will be bringing JLF’s Music Stage to life on February 3. If you’re a fan, it will be an experience unlike any other. The line-up of the first three days also includes performances by singer-songwriter Alif (Mohammad Muneem), The Tapi Project, and The Revisit Project.
The Pulitzer winners
JLF this year will have not one but three of them. Kai Bird, the co-writer of
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer, on which Christopher Nolan’s last blockbuster was based, will be talking about the book, the conflicted icon, and his writing life. If the film got you curious about
Oppenheimer, this session is sure to add fuel to the fire. Then there’s Hernan Diaz, who will be discussing his award-winning novel Trust, the myths shrouding wealth, and the fictions that often pass for history. Finally, there will also be Roger Cohen who will share his experiences covering war and conflict-torn regions.
Closer home
Other than festival favourites Gulzar and Shashi Tharoor, there are also panel sessions with Raghuram Rajan, Sudha Murthy,
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Gurcharan Das, Sharmistha Mukherjee, Amish Tripathi, Anant Goenka, Devdutt Pattanaik, Suhasini Haidar, Nilanjana Roy, Tarun Tahiliani, and Maria Goretti, who will talk at length about their books, concerns, and motivations.
(Edited by : Keshav Singh Chundawat)
