Jaipur Lit Fest — A beginner’s guide to the largest literary festival in the world
The Jaipur Literature Festival is a unique event which enables people from across the world to interact with contemporary literary stalwarts. The festival encompasses primarily literature and other fields such as poetry, music and is one the largest literary festivals in the world.
A History of Change:
The inaugural festival featured 18 writers and was attended by merely 100 guests (many of whom “appeared to be tourists who had simply got lost,” according to the festival’s co-director William Dalrymple), but over the years it has grown in terms of both reputation and magnitude. To date, the festival has had more than 1,800 speakers with footfalls of nearly 850,000 people. The main sponsor for the festival this year is Zee Entertainment. The Diggi Palace Heritage Hotel has housed this festival since its inception in the year 2006.
Stalwarts from Various Fields:
The festival has been attended by some of the world’s greatest dignitaries from sectors such as politics, history, business, sports, entertainment and social causes. Some of the well-known names to have spoken for the fest over the years include the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, novelist and poet Vikram Seth poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar, screenwriter Prasoon Joshi & political diplomat Shashi Tharoor.
The Priceless Fee:
The entry to this festival has always been complimentary. Any individual who wishes to attend the festival can walk in without paying any entry fee whatsoever. All one would need to do is register on the website. The Festival is a brilliant opportunity for people to learn from and exchange ideas with contemporary literary stalwarts. As such, this festival celebrates the power of literature, music and poetry to bring about a change and impact one’s thought process.
New Era of Literature:
This year the festival will take place between 19–23nd January. The theme for this year is ‘The Freedom to Dream: India at 70’, with focus on 70 years of India as a democracy. The speaker line-up includes Amitabh Kant (Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and CEO of NITI Ayog), Ashwin Sanghi (author of bestselling novels like The Rozabal Line and Chanakya’s Chant), Bishan Singh Bedi (former India cricket captain), Devdutt Pattanaik (leading Indian mythologist and author), Gulzar (poet and lyricist), Imtiaz Ali (director and screenwriter) amongst others. Some of the interesting programs include:
- Jawai: Land Of The Leopard with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Jaisal Singh (Writer, Conservationist & Entrepreneur), Ruth Padel (Poet and great-great granddaughter of Charles Darwin) and Meru Gokhale (Editor-in-Chief of Literary Publishing at Penguin Random House in India)
- How Green Was My Valley with Naseem Shafaie (Poet and Sahitya Akademi Award winner), Neerja Mattoo (Writer) and Neelesh Misra (Writer, Journalist and RJ)
- Cultural Encounter: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court with Audrey Truschke (Professor and Writer of Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court)
Enrich your experience:
The ethos of Authenticook is to make one’s travel experiences better through the medium of food. We believe that interacting with a local is one of the best ways to soak in the culture of the place being visited. And there is no better way to interact with a local than over a meal, cooked by your host, at their home. And that is how we believe that your Jaipur Lit Fest experience can be enhanced. We have 4 hosts in Jaipur who are looking forward to hosting you over an authentic Rajasthani meal. Experience Rajasthan, one meal at a time!! To check out all our meals in Jaipur, visit https://www.authenticook.com/local-places-to-eat/jaipur/7/.
Written by Authenticook
About Authenticook: An opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Indian food by providing an authentic dining experience in the homes of talented home chefs. These are casual meal experiences where people meet up over the common love for food. The platform allows for hosts and diners to curate and experience a meal respectively. For more details visit www.authenticook.com
