New Delhi Made Jaipur Literary Fest

New Delhi Made Jaipur Literary Fest

Diggi Palace Grounds, Jaipur City 19 to 22 Jan 2012

Pink city, developed by Hindu king Sawai Jai Singh in 1727. still having palaces and rest houses of 200 -300 years old architecture,263 KM from New Delhi.

Famous for palaces, food and hand block printing of cotton fabrics and Literary Fest

Great weather, people, food and music, perfect vacation.

All of sudden so many news channels vans, lot of mock visitors, celebrity writers and local artists are together to promote literature in general, is it birth of 21^st century India.

It is sunny morning and chill wind of Europe has come down to fort city. City which is history tourism map of the world, has witnessed some great writers of contemporary world with world press from New York also covering the event.

But you know 2012-Jaipur Fest had really made name for itself all around world, as Indian media had nothing else to talk about and celebrated writer on Indian origin Salman Rushdie, has been denied entry in India, because of his comments on religion by hard core peers of Gods.  Because topic of debate was religious and religion in India is debatable. Indian has freedom right of speech and expression.

Entry of Oprah Winfery, celebrity talk show television host and author of self improvement books from the great nation USA ,is here in Jaipur during this fest, it happened by chance and organizers and her advertising consultant took it has gifted promotion chance. Her talk was also with NDTV’S celebrated journalist Baraka Dutt, who made this talk show more look like a literary workshop.

So, here we are in Hindi speaking stat of India, English speaking writers, journalists and celebrity walking and talking together.

Why I say, New Delhi Made Jaipur Literary Fest.

Am I correct or just to saying because I am from New Delhi, nay!

Because of William and Sunjoy are from New Delhi, they are the pillars of this show. Which has shaped writing as celebrity and intellectual art form? Although Sunjoy, the brain child and organizer of the show is promoting Indian art, culture and social work for long time within Indian and all around world.

The best thing about this festival is that it is so publicized and covered by media, where media and their reader or viewers are not aware of meaning of literary festivals. Common visitor and media person are only know that there is talk show of celebrated writers ,some from movies and some are really well read authors.

We have seen Delhi Book Show, Delhi Art Show, where we find many international visitors and exhibitors coming to India to have their view and business grow among modern Indian society.

These days, Indian lifestyle is very much mixed and I would say vibrant, people write in English, eat Italian and make small library in their houses just like show case. So, what we have today after Vikarm Seth, winning lot of money and celebrative English writer status 15-18 years back made a platform for present generation to become professional English writer. Although we all know, English is not our language; it might be gift by our colonial rulers the British queen. But as Indian we have mastered the art of writing in English and now we have readers in our country also for English books. We all know English journalists were and even today better paid by their other languages a writer colleagues.

Specially meant for Indian English writers, those are in big league all around world, this fest has witnessing many other language writers from India and aboard. Spicily we find some Hindi and Urdu writers can share platform with English writers those are well read.

Once a writer never be a writer, but thrice a writer sits backs to at least read author.

William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth, but has lived in Delhi on and off for the last 25 years.

The 2006, first Jaipur Literature Festival had only18 writers including Hari Kunzru.Shobhaa De,Namita and a  14few others. We had only crowd of 100 attendees, including some who "appeared to be tourists who had simply got lost," according to the event's co-director William Dalrymple.

^{Today we see Hindi writers specially} from movies written circle, like Mr JAVED, Parsoon Joshi are part of festival and expected foot fall of more than 50000 visitors, this fest is happening fest. Here we have really nice musical evening with classical and folk back round, so it is festival kind of atmosphere and nice winter’s giving slice of chilly and spices.

The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival ,not really on efforts to have literate fest in total, but was originally an initiative of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation, an NGO  works for Rajasthan’s musicians and craftspeople to highlight art and promote  livelihoods .

The Directors of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival are William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale and the festival is produced by Sanjoy K. Roy, Sheuli Sethi and Teamwork Productions.

Indian Contemporary English Litterateurs

Literature is mirror of society; it is an old proverb and fits well here in India. Though English is not our language, but it is global language and Indians are now global in all means of lifestyle. So English authors and readers have grown in fast pace and made their presence all over world.

With Indian businessmen, IT professional and artists making their name and money in global stage, especially in America. Literature also has made an impact, I must say with Vikarm Seth in early 1990’s.Though we have great writers like philosopher Swami Vivekananda, who gave lecture in USA almost 100 years ago. But in last 20 years, we have seen reading habit has grown with large pace and people say in publishing business that Indian is the fastest growing market for English books in the world.

We have new book shops and coffee shops for book reading clients mushrooming all around the country and especially in the city New Delhi.

Contemporary writers like Jhaver Chand Meghani, Dharamvir Bharati,Mulk R.Anand,Jhuma,Amitav Gosg, Pawan, Shashi Throor etc has made strong impact on English writing. We have Booker's prize winners like Arundati Roy and other English writers like Chetan Bhagat, those make history with their readership especially in India for English books.

Not only novels, but cook books, travel books, science books and age old Indian mythological religious books and writers are doing well business in this English book market segment worldwide.

So where I stand, novelist, feature, travel or food writer? Hey I write poetry fro myself for 23 years now

Anyways thanks for reading me

Shailesh Sharma Pokhriyal

22/2/2011