Authors in conversation, Jaipur Literary Festival.
Sharell Cook.
The fifth annual Jaipur Literature Festival kicked off today, and I'm thrilled to actually be there for the first time! However, thick fog in Kolkata put a stop to my plans to get there early, as it delayed my flight from Mumbai by two hours. I must say that the new Jaipur Airport was an impressive surprise though!
After checking into delightful Anuraag Villa, one of the best budget hotels in Jaipur, I rushed to the Festival to catch the last session for the night before dinner and the live music performances. It was an interesting discussion, involving authors Sunil Khilnani and Tarun Tejpal, about how India had progressed in the last 60 years, including the successes and challenges.
Although he wasn't at the Festival, and won't be appearing due to apparent threats to "eliminate" him, Salman Rushdie still dominated the day. A couple of authors decided to read from his controversial and banned book, The Satanic Verses.
Popular sessions to attend on Day 2 are expected to be:
- In Search Of a Story at 10 a.m., featuring Chetan Bhagat.
- The Famished Road at 2.30 p.m., featuring Nigerian writer Ben Orki.
- Inglish, Amlish, Hinglish: The Chutneyfication of English at 3.45 p.m., featuring a panel.
The Festival's continually growing crowd means that if you don't arrive really early for popular sessions, you'll be standing outside the venues. Even arriving 15 minutes before starting time wasn't enough to secure me a seat!