Called ‘the mahakumbh’ of literature festivals, the Jaipur Litfest starts off its 14th edition on 19 February with its first virtual show and a scintillating array of speakers and millions of viewers across the world, this year transcending the boundaries of space and time.

Author and Festival Co-Director William Dalrymple, speaking to the media on Thursday, said, that in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic and political upheavals around the world, the JLF will continue its ‘commitment to literary excellence’ and continue ‘undimmed as we present one of our most extraordinary lists to date’.

Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, the producer of Jaipur Literature Festival, said, ‘Jaipur Literature Festival 2021 has a stellar list and is possibly one of our best festival lineups ever with Nobel Laureates Joeseph Stiglitz and Malala Yousafzai, an exclusive session with Bill Gates and Priyanka Chopra and an array of visually exciting sessions on music, dance, theatre, food, sustainability, innovation and much more’. He added: ‘We hope to enhance the online digital experience and capture an essence of the colour and diversity represented by Diggi Palace the home of this vibrant edition of the festival.’ Author and JLF Co-Director Namita Gokhale said, ‘The virtual edition of JLF 2021 is an absorbing immersive experience where we encounter an outstanding roster of great writers from around the world. It could be called a living library, or indeed a library of life. The challenges and disruptions of 2020 have transformed into the triumphs of 2021’.

Preeta Singh, President, Teamwork Arts, called this digital journey, ‘an exhilarating challenge and opportunity’ and called the 2021 festival ‘one truly unique and pathbreaking’ experience. She added, ‘Our immersive virtual format will delight our existing as well yet untapped audiences far and wide. With a bright vision of what festivals of the future will be like, we've created a masterful experience for literature lovers as well as brands that have partnered with us generously to celebrate the word and the power of stories, ideas, and dialogue in shaping our times’.

The digital landscape is perhaps the most exciting space for creative potential today, having revolutionised traditional modes of consuming, interpreting and interacting with text-based narratives. The tide has increasingly shifted in support of online content, as streaming platforms constantly evolve, challenging viewer expectations and subverting the ways in which stories are created, absorbed and shared. In a fascinating session, the panelists, author Vikram Chandra, film directors and screenwriters Sudhir Mishra, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vice President, Content, at Netflix India Monika Shergill, in conversation with Vani Tripathi Tikoo, are set to exchange ideas on the process of adapting dynamic scripts to the screen, reimagining the text for the visual medium and broadening the possibilities of immersive, authentic storytelling.

Environmental issues too will have a pivotal place in this year’s discussions.A powerful narrative on the stark realities of climate change, We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by award-winning author Jonathan Safran Foer takes a hard-hitting look at the day-to-day human contribution to the unfolding environmental catastrophe. Weaving personal stories, facts and metaphors, he will analyse what motivates some people to sacrifice short-term comfort for the sake of the long-term preservation of our climate by eliminating animal-based products from their diet. In conversation with journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Gettleman, Foer will dwell on the changes that each one of us can make to mitigate the imminent and unfolding crisis.

Jaipur BookMark, the B2B platform that runs parallel to the Festival, will return for its 8th edition. JBM has become a one-stop-shop for publishers, translators, literary agents, booksellers and writers to meet, discuss ideas, and ‘talk business’. Jaipur BookMark 2021 features sessions on the challenges for publishers and booksellers in the post-pandemic era, skilling for the publishing industry, translations and rights, market trends, distribution models and many other engaging discussions.

JLF Music: The Festival presents not just stimulating conversations on literature and the written and spoken word, but also includes musical performances giving it a vivid cultural backdrop. Similar to the on-ground experience, the audience will be able to enjoy Morning Music every day during the virtual Festival with eminent musicians like - singer-songwriter from Srinagar Ali Safuddin, known throughout the valley for his magnetic and captivating voice that amplifies the plight of his people and the cultural heritage of the Kashmiri community; versatile and popular singer Harpreet; HimaliMou who sing 'Pahaadi' or mountain folk music from Uttarakhand; internationally acclaimed performer, composer, cultural entrepreneur and music educator Shubhendra Rao; UK-based vocalist and composer Supriya Nagarajan; popular Hindustani classical vocalist Ujwal Nagar.
This year, the electrifying Jaipur Music Stage will showcase a variety of artistes from the national and international spectrum and a multi-genre abundance. The sessions will be streamed every evening during the Festival featuring The Anirudh Varma Collective, a contemporary Indian classical ensemble led by Delhi-based pianist, composer and producer, Anirudh Varma; Belonging: a Belfast-Kolkata online musical collaboration featuring Jason O’Rourke and Deepmoy Day; singer-songwriter, producer and accomplished acoustic guitarist from New Delhi Dhruv Visvanath; the popular Kutle Khan Project; renowned Israeli musician Shye Ben Tzur; BBC NI/Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Young Musician Platform Award-winning singer Jack Warnock.
There will be an intense session on the interrelated schools of Indian music, which will discuss the constant creative interplay between classical and folk music as well as that of hybrid and popular genres in our online digital age. Acclaimed poet, writer, lyricist, CBFC chairman, communication specialist Prasoon Joshi and scholar, singer, musician, writer and social activist Vidya Shah will speak of their understanding and appreciation of musical traditions, and their evolution, occasionally breaking into song to explain or expand on a point. They will also throw light on the cultural diversity as well as the intrinsic unity of this vast heritage and its new offshoots.

There will be an intense session on the interrelated schools of Indian music, which will discuss the constant creative interplay between classical and folk music as well as that of hybrid and popular genres in our online digital age. Acclaimed poet, writer, lyricist, CBFC chairman, communication specialist Prasoon Joshi and scholar, singer, musician, writer and social activist Vidya Shah will speak of their understanding and appreciation of musical traditions, and their evolution, occasionally breaking into song to explain or expand on a point. They will also throw light on the cultural diversity as well as the intrinsic unity of this vast heritage and its new offshoots.
There are some Extraordinary Stories too. Gulabo Sapera, a legendary folk artist, who not only conceptualised and choreographed the flamboyant dance style ‘kalbeliya’ but also got her nomadic community a never imagined recognition will be showcased. Today, the dance form is one of the major features of the state of Rajasthan. A child who had been buried alive when born, and having faced numerous ups and downs both personally and professionally, she is now a visiting faculty at institutions in countries such as Denmark and France. She wishes to set up a dance school in Pushkar for her community. She has also taken up the cause of educating children in her community. In 2011, Sapera featured in reality television show Bigg Boss 5. She is a recipient of the Padma Shri Award and the Maharana Mewar Award.

Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal’s co-authored play Betrayed by Hope follows the chequered life of poet and writer extraordinaire Michael Madhusudan Dutt. The script captures the anguish of a fractured identity as well as Dutt’s remarkable innovations in literary genres such as the epic and the sonnet. In a fascinating session of readings and discussion, Gokhale and Lal will be in conversation with actor and multidisciplinary artist Oroon Das and explore the paradoxes of Dutt’s life and work.