DNA Edit | Zee JLF: Show Goes On

It is apt to call the Zee JLF the Kumbh Mela of literature. The five-day carnival, which ended on Monday, was a grand affair, drawing thousands of visitors of all age groups everyday.  Its scale and grandeur is mind-boggling; a most gratifying treat to the senses. For the artistically inclined, it’s an elevating experience, and in that sense alone the Kumbh comparison is fitting. It is a dance of democracy, a celebration of pluralism, and an assertion of the spirit of inclusion.

An idyllic space rich in medieval architecture, the Diggi Palace venue is transformed into a magical world where the global converges with the local, and ideas and cultures collide and merge in an organic way. What’s indeed surprising is in a country where intolerance is on the rise and the scope for dissent is shrinking, Zee JLF is getting bigger with each edition. In keeping with tradition, this time, too, the topics and panelists were as eclectic and diverse as it could be.

From history and environment to geopolitics, from performing arts, food and fashion to theoretical physics, from migration and embedded journalism to media ethics and gender discourse, it’s impossible to keep track of the sparks of brilliance flying all around. Yet, it never gets more entertaining and edifying than at Zee JLF. As the curtains came down on the 11th year of the festival following a fierce, eardrum-splitting, adrenaline-pumping closing debate titled #MeToo: Do Men Still Have It Easy, it became evident once again why the world is truly a borderless planet. The friendships forged, the ideas exchanged, the ache of goodbyes and the promise of meeting next year, the festival has brought humanity closer to its ideals. It’s one formidable step towards tearing down the walls and barbed wires of the artificial divide.