Literati on the rise!

As we head towards the New Year, we have a lot to ponder over.

One of the many highlights of the year 2010 was that it witnessed an amazingly large number of literary festivals all across the country. And the literati world was made all the more alluring by the star power as countless celebrities flocked to these events — which included poetry, dance and other cultural activities, debates and discussions.

Early this month we saw the Hyderabad literary festival that was attended by around 100 writers with more than 13 Indian languages being explored. Mumbai too had its own literature fest in November; however, it was more of an interactive programme than an academic one.

Also a hit were the literary fests in Kovalam, Kolkata and Delhi. The Marathi Literary fest that concluded this week itself saw some great original work, as well as translations.

Such festivals help provide recognition and ground to budding Indian writers and are aimed at promoting books in vernacular languages. And the biggest of all being the Jaipur Literary Festival that takes place every January. The fest that started in 2006 as a modest enterprise with barely seven authors and 20 people as audience has over the years grown into a mega-monster, attracting the best of names from all across the globe. About 32,000 people attended the last festival, and the number is expected to be significantly higher this time.

The sixth season of the fest shall begin from January 21 to 25, 2011 and has a brilliant line-up of over 210 authors, including award-winning authors JM Coetzee and Orhan Pamuk. “You find an eclectic mix of people there. This time I’m looking forward to picking up a lot of books on textile, and some racy detective and historic novels,” says fashion designer Ritu Kumar who is a big fan of Salman Rushdie.

There are many celebrities who are all eager to flock to the pink city this coming January. Actress Shabana Azmi, who went for the last festival with husband Javed Akhtar, says, “It is such an intellectually stimulating place to be in.”

Actor Rahul Bose confirms that he willbe visiting the fest “briefly.”
Actor Amitabh Bachchan, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, director Anurag Kashyap, designer Bina Ramani, etc are those who have attended the festival previously. Hollywood actor Julia Roberts, while shooting for her film Eat Pray Love in Jaipur, visited this literary delight.