In the summer of 2015, Karanvir Sibia, a prominent landowner in Punjab's Sangrur district, decided to put the district headquarters on the country's literary map. For inspiration, he looked to the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (ZeeJLF), which had already completed its eighth year by then.
In the summer of 2015, Karanvir Sibia, a prominent landowner in Punjab's Sangrur district, decided to put the district headquarters on the country's literary map. For inspiration, he looked to the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (ZeeJLF), which had already completed its eighth year by then.
Fired by zeal, he rallied for support from the prominent citizens of his district. "Everyone pooled in money, and in November that year Sangrur Heritage and Literature Festival was held on the grounds of the General Gurnam Singh Public School," said Geet Grewal, who, like many others, volunteered to support Sibia's initiative.
Nearly 2,000 people turned up for the two-day event, where around 10 publishers set up stalls offering textbooks, literary works and comics in English and Punjabi. It happened again in 2016, when around 3,000 visitors attended the fest. The National Book Trust displayed some 30,000 books and 50 stalls were erected to accommodate various publishers.
A Punjabi translation of Rajmohan Gandhi's book, Punjab: A History From Aurangzeb to Mountbatten, was released, and the event was attended by writers from the region – novelist Khushwant Singh, who has written a book Maharaja in Denims, Suditi Jindal, Mandeep Singh, haiku poetess Kamaljeet Kaur and noted Panjabi calligraphist writer Surjit Pattar, among others.
It was Thakur Rampratap Singh, owner of Diggi Palace, the venue of ZeeJLF, who helped Sibia and his associates realise their dream. "He not only came down to help us plan the festival, but also attended the event to ensure everything went off smoothly," says the 44-year-old homemaker on the sidelines of Zee JLF on Sunday.
The Sangrur festival is just one of an estimated 113 festivals in India that have mushroomed ever since ZeeJLF started 10 years ago, says Sanjoy K Roy, the festival producer. "Abroad, Zee JLF has been the inspiration for the Bay Area Book Festival in downtown Berkeley in California, US, an annual literary event each in Nepal and Bhutan, two in Bangladesh and three in Pakistan," says Roy.
"Some of those who attend the ZeeJLF go back home with a determination to do something similar in their town or city. They often call or email seeking advice and we are happy to provide them with technical and logistical know-how as well as access to authors," he says. However, it is not an easy job. To make the 10th edition of the Zee JLF successful, we prepared for 18 months, with some 4,000 people helping us at various stages, says Roy.
ZeeJLF's contribution to the country's literary landscape has been immense. "It has helped popularise the concept of literary conversation as a platform that can attract large audiences. That said, every festival has to chart its own path and that's what Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet has done," says Malavika Banerjee, director of the festival, the sixth edition of which will be held in the Bengal capital from January 25-29.
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