At a time not so long ago, the book fairs of Delhi and Kolkata, both inexplicably held at about the same time, were equivalents of the Oscar night for Indian bibliophiles. The fairs continue to be held, but in the anticipation quotient, they have been replaced in five short years by the Jaipur Literary Festival (JLF), held just about a week earlier in the annual calendar. At five, it is already the biggest festival in the world?at least in number of people attending. And, unlike its older cousins such as the festivals at Hay or Edinburgh, this one still remains free. Even though that sometimes results in a free-for-all, within five years the festival has become an event around which the literary calendar for leading Indian writers is set. No mean achievement for a festival in a country known for its writers? individual brilliances than its organised publishing programme.
?When we started, we hadn?t thought of anything,? says Namita Gokhale, Director of the festival, along with William Dalrymple. Producer Sanjoy Roy is pretty happy about the way the festival has shaped up. ?The aim had always been to make literature sexy, not just limit it to a book launch, but debate and discuss live with authors,? he says, adding, ?We also have a vision of the festival that extends beyond literature. While concentrating on India, the effort is to address issues of culture, race, diversity, etc.?
?It has come into its own,? says Roy, pointing out there has been unprecedented request from agents and publishers this year to attend. ?They are realising that this is a place where they can explore successfully.? The organisers are not counting, but they estimate about 10,000 people attended last year. Last year, there were about 150 authors. This year, the number is already up by about 10%. There are over 200 speakers, spread over 50 sessions and five days ? January 21-25.
There are some cancellations this year, the biggest among them Mahashweta Devi, who underwent a surgery this week. ?We have had a less than 5% cancellation rate over the years,? says Roy, explaining that some emergencies are the fate of festivals globally . However, there are many big-ticket authors attending this year. The ongoing Bonjour India brings with it a number of French authors and musicians. A French evening is scheduled on January 22 and one with International Book Fair, Torino two days later. There is a session on Raja Ravi Varma, and one on Sindhi writings.
Literature in Indian languages will continue to occupy a significant space at the festival, though detractors in past editions have pointed out the attention has been on international writers. ?65% of the programme is Indian this year,? points out Roy. Gokhale adds, ?When we began, I wanted a festival rooted in Indian society. We are honoured in hosting great writers from around the world, but the focus is India.? She points to the four sessions on Dalit writing, which will be conducted in three different languages?Marathi, Punjabi and Tamil. She also says English should be seen as an Indian language too and recognised as such.
Indian publishing industry remains upbeat about the festival. Penguin will have a tent and use the festival as a branding exercise, says Hemali Sodhi, GM, Marketing. ?Our tent will have a few limited-edition books and merchandise.? HarperCollins is releasing musician Biddu?s autobiography there. ?We are also actively campaigning for our authors who are going to be there,? says V Karthika, Editor in Chief, Harper Collins India. ?It also makes sense for us to be there as we get to meet people we woudn?t otherwise, hear new authors, discover new ideas and even non-authors who we can approach later.?
The future direction for the festival is also being shaped. Urvashi Butalia, advisor to the festival this year, says it is important that the festival continue to be an exciting, vibrant space where the emphasis has to be on Indian writing in different languages of the country. ?Two festivals ago, they opened with Baby Halder, and steps like that will go a long way,? she says. She admits that it is a short space, and one that will continue to look at both English and non-English writing. Roy says this would be a good moment to reflect on future direction, including sections for agents and rights. If that were to happen, a service usually with the book fairs, JLF could indeed be the most influential space for Indian publishing.