Jaipur Diaries
The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2011
Last year in January, I sent Mayank Austen Soofi an e-mail when he had just returned from the Jaipur Literature Festival,
“See you in Jaipur next year!”
At that time I wasn’t sure whether I was just joking or I really wanted to attend the festival. But, by a quirk of fate, here I am in Jaipur writing this post.
The Jaipur Literature Festival, organised by DSC began in 2008 with historian-author William Dalrymple (best known for his books City of Djinns and White Mughals) and Namita Gokhale as the Directors. Over the time it has become the largest literary festival of its kind in South Asia (Tina Brown called it “the greatest literary show on Earth” in Daily Beast), attracting bibliophiles, journalists, literature students and the general public (the festival, contrary to what one may think, is free and open to everyone) from all over the world. Well-known authors like Salman Rushdie, Wole Soyinka, Ian McEwan, Alexander McCall Smith and Hanif Kureishi have been a part of the festival. Celebrities better to the general public, Shabana Azmi and poets Javed Akhtar and Gulzar come to the festival each year. This year Nobel Laureate and author of the acclaimed Museum of Innocence- Orhan Pamuk, the Booker Prize-winning author of the Life and Times of Michael K and Disgrace- J.M. Coetzee, Roberto Calasso, Jim Crace and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie will be a part of the festival for the first time.
The festival is held for five days from 21st-25th January every year. I am eagerly awaiting the inaugural day, when I will get to be a part of the festivity and witness the literatti from across the globe get together under the roof of the beautiful Diggi Palace, where the festival is held.
- Diggi Palace ©Outlook Magazine
Keep watching this space as I will upload videos and pictures along with a write-up each day beginning from 21st January under the series entitled Jaipur Diaries reporting the events of each day. Being a delegate, I will get the opportunity (hopefully!) to interact with the authors and journalists and have VIP access to the events.
So even if you couldn’t be here this time, I will make sure you don’t miss out on the thrill.
See you in Jaipur!
Did you see Pamuk, madam? Would you please write about him?