The grand fest returns

A file pic of the Jaipur Literary Festival in 2016. This year, the festival is being held at the Clarks Amer, Jaipur. Pic/Getty Images

It's been a while since we've experienced a literary festival like in the pre-pandemic times. The ambience of a room buzzing with an enthralled audience, captivated by conversations about books and beyond, has long been replaced by discussions that happen in square boxes on our screens. We've normalised it, but we also know that it's no fun.

With the unpredictability of new Covid variants, and subsequent lockdowns, it's been safer to opt for virtual fests, or none at all. The Jaipur Literature Festival, which kicked off on March 5 in an hybrid avatar, perhaps is a good way then to rekindle old habits. In its 15th edition now, it was held virtually till March 10, before moving on ground to its new venue, Clarks Amer, Jaipur. For the final two days - the festival concludes tomorrow - a diverse programme has been put together, where everything from debut literary works, the pandemic, Indian crafts, spirituality, climate change and conflict will be discussed.

Namita Gokhale

"A hybrid model has given us enormous scope, range, and diversity. There are such challenges associated with travel that it is crucial to keep plans fluid. The idea is to talk about books, and ideas, and the issues of our time - the digital space allows for enormous outreach and brings in voices across continents and time zones," said Namita Gokhale, festival co-director, in an email interview.

Among the more interesting sessions is one on storytelling where authors DBC Pierre, Anindita Ghose, Kei Miller and Karuna Ezara Parikh will shed light on the art of creating a novel. Film critic and writer Anupama Chopra will speak about the films that have shaped her career and fuelled personal intrigue. For fans of verse, there's Ranjit Hoskote, Sudeep Sen, Meena Kandasamy and Arundhathi Subramaniam, who will be seen in different panels over the next two days. Viewers will also get to experience a different side of Nobel Prize-winning economist Abhijit V Banerjee, who'll talk about his cookbook, Cooking To Save Your Life, and his love for cooking with Festival Producer Sanjoy K Roy. India's healthcare will be the point of focus in a session where endovascular surgeon Ambarish Satwik, journalist Barkha Dutt, epidemiologist Chandrakant Lahariya, and cardiologist Sandeep Jauhar will discuss the different dimensions of the pandemic.

Gokhale adds, "The Jaipur Literature Festival 2022 seeks the pivotal issues that we must all address in these times. There is a strand of sessions titled The Urgency of Borrowed Time which seek to bring rational analysis to the multiple crises of ecology and environment, geopolitics, aggression and planetary dangers - as well as the solace of poetry, music and literature. The sense of community, the courage to laugh and the capacity for joy is what will help us survive these dire times."

To Follow: jaipurliteraturefestival.org