I have been hearing a lot about how literature festivals are not really or wholly about books for quite a while. I agree. But that does not mean that they are pointless since that is how the people who say that conclude their point. I have not been to other literature festivals that have sprouted up across the country in the wake of JLF, but since Jaipur Literature Festival is the oldest and grandest of them all, I’d wager I am a good judge of the whole literature festival thing, being a regular participant since 2014.
For those who love books, current affairs, learning new things, meeting new people, discussions by learned people on various topics, and so on, Jaipur Literature Festival is a just about perfect. It has a great atmosphere, it is free (with paid options), and you can leave the venue and come back whenever you want.
Jaipur is a beautiful city with a rich culture and heritage apart from a tradition of literature, poetry, and art going back hundreds of years. Also, the weather in Pink City is quite pleasant this time of the year. Even this time, when I found the festival considerably less interesting than any year before, I really enjoyed my time there even though I could not attend some of the sessions due to work.
The only thing that continues to bother me is the crowd. This year, thanks to the lack of big names, the crowd was thinner than usual, but it was still at times difficult to make your way through the seething humanity. Most of the people who come to JLF come just to ‘have a blast’ as they put it themselves, which I understand involves clicking lots of selfies and creating a ruckus in general. Whilst I agree that JLF is not completely about literature (despite its name, and that is okay), those who hog space (and chairs) and treat the event like a picnic spot should be discouraged. Frankly, there are better spots in the city for those purposes.
The Wordslinger 