#GetLitAtJLF: Experience The Best Of This Literary Fest With HarperCollins’ Ultimate Guide

The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival is back and it’s made us more excited than ever because they have managed to bring together distinguished names from various walks of life – be it authors, politicians, journalists, musicians, socialists or activists. They’ve lined up lots of events and talks, debates and discussions across six venues within Diggi Palace. There’s a lot to look out for here and you’ll need a plan to see the best of it – here’s a checklist by HarperCollins India that’ll be your guide. Keep reading!

Nobel laureate Sir Venki Ramakrishnan will be the keynote speaker this year along with Andrew Marr, best known for his political show on the BBC. Some more notable names include Germaine Greer, Bee Rowlatt, AJ Finn, Charles Spencer, William Dalrymple, Hari Kunzru, Jeffery Archer and Omar Robert Hamilton who is the co-founder of the Palestine Festival of Literature! And there’s Shashi Tharoor, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Usha Uthup, Gulzar, Barkha Dutt, Anita Nair, Kapil Sibal and Mithali Raj (captain of the Indian women’s cricket team), amongst other in a list that literally goes on and on and on! So, you see why you should be there!

This fest has indeed made things lit with a power-packed line-up of musical performances - be it world music, ghazals, funk, rock, or the blues. The Jaipur Music Stage 2019 is all set to be a music festival like no other with artists like the Nooran Sisters, Jasbir Jassi in a never-seen-before collaboration with Kutle Khan, folk-rock legends Indian Ocean, Carnatic and world music vocalist Mahesh Vinayakram in collaboration with Dub FX (Benjamin Stanford), violin maestro L Subramaniam, and blues band, all the way from Shillong, Soulmate, techno masters Midival Punditz to name a few. 

If you’re a retail therapy addict, you’re in luck because the festival bazaar will be stocked up with quirky stationery, gifts, edgy apparel, traditional weaves, jewellery, shoes and plenty of beautiful local home decor that'll make your whole house seem new!

The theme this year is mainly focussed on the blurring global lines and celebrating the world. Keeping in tandem with this theme, there’s a session on music by Zakir Hussain that we cannot wait to attend, a stimulating talk by Vishal Bhardwaj about Shakespeare. There will also be special emphasis on science, the scientific temper, speculative fiction, artificial intelligence and what the future might hold for planet Earth. We can hardly wait to get an idea about how the world is increasingly coming together and watch some beautiful stories from all around the globe unfurl at Jaipur. With the rise in feminism, there are going to be a several speakers focusing on the struggle for gender equality as well.

Lastly, if nothing else calls out to you (which we doubt) then head over simply for the venue because we have heard that this place in itself will blow you away. If you’ve ever attended this, or spoken to someone who has then you’ll know why The Baithak, Mughal Tents, and the Charbagh are all close to people’s hearts. The hosts will leave you awestruck with their entire execution of the event, as well as with the beauty of the place.

When in doubt, look at this Survival Guide To JLF 2019 by HarperCollins. From book launches like Every Vote Counts: The Story of Elections in India (on January 26) and The Forest of Enchantment (on January 27) to discussions between notable speakers like Karan Thapar and Sagarika Ghose (January 28) – there’s a lot do while you’re there. Be sure to chalk out your time in advance!

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