Jaipur Literature Festival

It was the fifth edition of the event but a first for me. And it couldn't have come at a better time as I was almost free. Although I had some last minute travel jitters (I have those specially when I travel alone) but thanks to mom, a friend, and Indian railways, who all persuaded me successfully to be there.

If you are a literature lover (and even if you are not), imagine yourself in a place with luminaries of Indian and English literature. Although the event website has detailed lists, I can't resist to share some names - Gulzar, William Dalrymple, Tony Wheeler, Niall Ferguson, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Javed Akhtar, Prasoon Joshi, Vikram Chandra, Roberto Colasso, Chetan Bhagat, Nayanatara Sehgal, K. Satchidanandan, Christophe Jaffrelot, Sheen Kaaf Nizam... and the list goes on.

And the best part of the fest was that everyone was floating around - the authors, the artists, the delegates,and the audience, all were roaming around freely. Even the leisurely venue - Diggi Palace - was awesome - crowded but serene. And so were the musical shows, the painting gallery, the bookstalls, the decor with lights and kites, and the free entry too.

Somehow, Jaipur has been a lucky place for me. I met and won accolades from Gulzar and Nizam for the first time in Jaipur in January 2009 and got the same chance again in Jaipur in January 2010. I again got a chance to recite before the two among many others and thankfully, I again got some pats on the back. Nizam was, in fact, so nice to guide me through many a nuances of poetry.

I know that this post is not as good as it could be and not enough to raise your curiosity to pull you there in the next edition. But believe me, no amount of words can paint quite a picture of the experience... it was heavenly and a testimony to that is that I am already roaring to be there next year. Find some of my clicks of the festival in my Picasa Album.