Rajasthan's rich and varied heritage will come alive over the coming week as ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival (ZJLF) showcases the colour and culture of its home state to the two lakh plus visitors expected from US, UK, France, South Africa, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam among 50 others. Held at the historic Diggi Palace since it was founded in 2006, ZJLF returns to this special venue on an even more grand and spectacular scale for the 2015 edition, from January 21-25. Completely free and open to all, ZJLF is attracting visitors from across the globe.
Rajasthan's rich and varied heritage will come alive over the coming week as ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival (ZJLF) showcases the colour and culture of its home state to the two lakh plus visitors expected from US, UK, France, South Africa, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Vietnam among 50 others. Held at the historic Diggi Palace since it was founded in 2006, ZJLF returns to this special venue on an even more grand and spectacular scale for the 2015 edition, from January 21-25. Completely free and open to all, ZJLF is attracting visitors from across the globe.
Soon after Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurates the event on the 21st morning, Rajasthani musicians Nathoo Solanki, Chugge Khan and Jaisalmer Boys will open the world's largest free literary festival with the sounds of their traditional, infectious music, by now synonymous with the excitement of the ZJLF's first day. Also on the opening day, musicologist John Napier, together with Shanti Raman, will speak of the tradition and challenges of modernity in archiving the oral history of the Nath Jogis. They will be joined on stage by jogi performer Kishori Nath who will recite and perform from an ancient bardic repertoire.
In a session titled, 'Rajasthan: Out of Bimaru', Jaipur-born economist and vice-chairman of the NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, and scholar, economist and writer Bibek Debroy will discuss Rajasthan's road ahead as the state seeks local strategies for transparency, equity and growth. They will be joined by writer and columnist Malvika Singh as well as journalists Om Thanvi and Ashok Malik on the second day of ZJLF.
Mid-festival, on Friday (23 January), eminent writers and scholars Aidan Singh Bhati, Arjun Deo Charan and Ambika Dutt will discuss the heritage and contemporary manifestation of Rajasthani literature, spanning a diversity of dialects and genres from ballads to heroic epics and a treasure trove of oral tradition. ZJLF will also look back at the distinctive literary and visual arts traditions of courtly Rajasthan with cultural historians Molly Emma Aitken, B N Goswamy, Kavita Singh and Rima Hooja. Aitken and Goswamy will also be in conversation earlier in the week on the intricate miniature paintings of Rajasthan which has revolutionised our understanding of the courtly world and family ateliers that produced them.
Kathputli, the single string puppet theatre native to Rajasthan, will be celebrated at ZJLF where experts like Dadi Pudumjee, Puran Bhatt and Rajesh Bhat Nagori will discuss this integral part of the region's bardic traditions, with a history stretching back to thousands of years. Also, poetry and the poetic imagination has long been a hallmark of Rajasthani literature. 'Dingal' is a heroic form of poetry written in the nagri script and unique to Rajasthan, Gujarat and Sindh, Pakistan. Shaped by historical events, the acute martial rhythm of 'dingal' poetry is accentuated by a distinctive style of recitation, whilst pingal, a form of Prakrit, based on brajbhasha, evokes the sentiments of love and romance. On Saturday 24 January, Rajasthani writer and cultural historian C P Deval will speak of the history and charm of dingal and pingal, with recitations by Rajendra Singh Barhath, Shakti Daan Kavya and Gopal Prasad Mudgal.
On the final day of the festival, three women writers - playwright, author and activist Mridula Behari, Rajasthani writer and critic Lata Sharma and poet and publisher of 'Simply Jaipur' Anshu Harsh - will read and speak of the 'stree-shakti' that inspires their work. Meanwhile, author, scriptwriter and satirist Ram Kumar Singh, of 'Zed Plus' fame will speak of his engagement with film and literature and read from his recent work, whilst poet, writer and translator Malchand Tiwari will read from his recent book 'Borunda Diary', in a tribute to the late Vijay Dandetha.
In addition to the sessions at the main festival site, the city itself will become a participant in the festival as Amer Fort and Hawa Mahal become venues for unique satellite events as the festival expands beyond Diggi Palace. Naseeruddin Shah will recite the poetry of Manto on January 21 at 7.30 pm at Amer Fort. The acclaimed actor will be followed by a performance from Sonam Kalra and the Sufi Gospel Project supported by Rajasthan Tourism. Actress Shabani Azmi will also read poetry at the Hawa Mahal on January 22 at 6.30 pm, followed by a fiery flamenco performance by Rasa Duendes.
Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, Producer of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival said, "The city of Jaipur has welcomed and supported the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival since it began. We are excited to take the Festival even further beyond the four walls of Diggi Palace to some of the city's most iconic sites like Hawa Mahal in association with Rajasthan Tourism."
Echoing this view, ZJLF regional advisor Nand Bhardwaj said, "ZJLF is an international literary event of its own kind with participants coming from all around the world. The variety in programme contents and formats are quite clear, even when the event is also known for its unique regional colour. Each year specific themes and aspects of Rajasthani regional culture and life are celebrated and that is the beauty of this event. In previous years, various aspects of folk forms and representation of new creation in Rajasthani language and literature were a major attraction for the regional audience."
The 5-day-long fest will see
- Over 240 speakers
- 8 venues (6 at Diggi Palace, one each at Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal)
- 2 lakh footfalls at Diggi Palace over 5 days
- Over 500 crew and volunteers
- Over 50 countries representing 22 languages
- 940 lights across all venues
- 15,000 plus hot meals for authors, press and delegates
- 14-acre ZJLF site at Diggi Palace
- 1,800 rooms plus rooms booked at Jaipur hotels for visiting speakers
- Over 2,30,000 sq ft of cloth used to decorate the Festival site
- Over 1,80,000 decorative hangings will adorn the venue
- Over 2000 workers readying venue from a week.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}