FEATURE

Come January and all roads lead to Jaipur for literature lovers. The 10th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival ( JLF) opened on 19 January with much fanfare and aplomb at Diggi Palace, Jaipur. Considered one of the leading literature events globally, the event gives readers a chance to come face- to-face with their beloved writers and poets, who arrive in Jaipur at this time of year from across the world.

The opening ceremony of JLF 2017 took place on 19 January at the front lawn of Diggi Palace. It was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, Also present was the celebrated yogi Sadhguru, iconic experimental poet and activist Anne Waldman and the legendary awardwinning poet and lyricist Gulzar. Folk musician Nathoo Lal Solanki led a group of drummers who performed at the event. A concert of folk and classical music by the Shillong Chamber Choir was held at the venue.

Speaking on Day One of the JLF, festival producer Sanjoy Roy said, “The only means to bring about change is knowledge and education. Our colleagues are out there taking authors to over a hundred schools who won’t necessarily have access to the festival. Similarly people at Ekta Foundation are bringing a number of kids from various Indian states to bring together a sense of what tomorrow can be. That is what the festival is about.”

Talking about the importance of writers in our society, he said, “Writers give us a sense of our tomorrows. In our very chaotic world of today, ever evolving to the miasma of noise and visual images, the only thing that