“MAY YOU NEVER BE BOOKLESS”

It has often seemed to me that the essence of regal splendour is intermingled with the fragrance of Rajasthan. Majestic and proud, as always, stands the ‘Pink City’- Jaipur to tell its splendid tale of a thriving past. Yet another treasure to add to this grand fable of the city is the annual Jaipur Literature Festival which was weaved into existence by prolific writers William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale in 2006.

The Jaipur Literature Festival, 2015 was a spectacle held over five days from 21^st to 25^th January at Diggi Palace with over 150 speakers and attracted an estimated 80,000 people from all over the world. A celebration of the beauty and freedom in expression and creativity, the festival was a melange of introspective dialogues on the countless hues that colour our lives, be it political, social, cultural or emotional. The discussions were literarily enriching and intellectually stimulating.

One of the sessions with Booker Prize, 2013 winner Eleanor Catton piqued the interest of those interested in the art of historical fiction as she spoke of her journey to write ‘The Luminaries’. Amish Tripathi and Bibek Debroy enchanted the audience with their thought provoking and insightful conversation on ‘The Conflict of Dharma in the Mahabharat’. A session on the art of travel writing was particularly appealing wherein authors like Paul Thearoux William Dalrymple, journalist Samanth Subramanian read out anecdotal accounts which were both humorous and reflective. Yet another session titled ‘Of Beauty and Truth’ saw a discussion on the Urdu writing and the idea of beauty wherein lies the truth by the brilliantly versed authors Bilal Tanweer and S.R. Faruqi.

It was a bedazzling experience when one found the enigmatic and admirable Shabana Azmi walking a few steps ahead of them or turn to see the graceful and captivating Waheeda Rehman walking right beside them. Hearts surely did flutter at the sight of the dashing Sachin Pilot and one could only be dazed when the sensational Mr. Shashi Tharoor conversed charismatically with them while signing their book and even posed for a selfie with them! There was a lot of scope to have one on one interactions with debut novelists, journalists and veteran authors, poets and playwrights like Girish Karnad, William Dalrymple, Devdutt Pattanaik and many others.

What was, however, most overwhelming to see was the kind of crowd that had accumulated to hear Nobel Laureate Sir V.S. Naipaul as he was in conversation with Farrukh Dhondy, speaking about the humble beginnings of his writing career and his inspirations. Another such moment was being a part of the frenzied crowd both inside Diggi Palace and on the streets outside just to get a glimpse of the much revered luminary and former President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Dotted with an assortment of quaint and fancy cafés and food stalls, one could easily grab a book, get themselves some food and alcohol and read in solitude in these joints. A wide range of traditional sweets and beverages like Moong Dal ka Halwa, desi kulhad wali chai were also a delight for the people. The Amazon bookstore too fascinated a large number of people with its plethora of books in miscellaneous genre from travelogues to crime novels.

Mellifluous renditions from diverse traditions be it folk, Sufi or classical rejuvenated the mornings. A soulful rhapsody of ‘ Damadam Mast Qalandar’ on the 23^rd still rings rapturously in one's memory. The musical evenings at Hotel Clarks Amer were surging with pulsating symphonies and dynamic beats. The fourth evening was audience to the Rizwan Muazzam Qawwals who hailed from Pakistan and performed a repertoire of songs from traditional Qawwali to Punjabi folk. This was followed by a session by one of India’s finest DJs- Midival Punidtz. Unique, as they fuse Indian beats with electronic music, the Punditz enthralled the audience with their scintillating concert. The audience left fulfilled and euphoric.

The foremost take away from the 2015 festival was the cultural concoction of people it attracted from the intellectual literati to students from colleges and schools all over the country to localites to avid readers from all over the globe and even non readers. However, the fact that such myriad people were together at one platform was indeed a marvel. It was fascinating to wonder what each of these people would draw from the sessions and the whole aura of the festival. One could definitely wish for the proliferation of such fiestas as a gift to literature, the liberty to think and to speech and to the inspiration of a democracy.