Even though the city hasn’t produced a literary giant, Jaipur, which was formerly well-known for its prosthetic foot, is now more recognised for literary discussions.
Truly an irony!
The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) must feel like a movie star if imitation truly is the purest form of flattery. JLF has sparked more literary festivals than a Xerox machine since its humble beginnings in 2006 on the peaceful grounds of the Diggi Hotel.
There were very few people there back then, mostly sunburnt tourists passing the time pretending to be interested in literature while in the Pink City. The organisers, however, didn’t mind.
They continued, full of energy and a seeming indifference to first-year attendance.
Things began to improve by the second year.
All of a sudden, Gulzar, Joshi Tharoor, Shobha De, and other celebrities were filling the hotel with listeners. People will come running, it turns out, if you put enough famous writers on stage. Aware of the short attention span of today’s readers, the organisers sensibly limited the length of the sessions to one hour, which is just long enough for participants to feel informed but not overly bored. Getting your newly acquired book signed by the author was undoubtedly the most exciting experience.
Before long, the JLF formula was being copied everywhere. Literary festivals sprung up like mushrooms in cities like Chandigarh, Kozhikode, and even Aranmula, which is more known for its boat racing than for book readings. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, albeit one that was, let’s admit, lacking in the original JLF flair and a little less polished. After complaining that the Sahitya Akademi was uninterested in paying for his cab fare, one poet even caused a stir.
With spin-offs in the US, UK, and Australia, JLF has expanded globally today. Though the odd thing is that the city hasn’t produced a literary titan, Jaipur, previously famed for its prosthetic foot, is now better known for literary debates. Truly an irony!
Author: This news is edited by: Abhishek Verma, (Editor, CANON TIMES)
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