Jaipur Literature Festival has been described as “the greatest literary show on Earth” and it’s certainly the one every writer hopes to be invited to. It’s larger, louder, brighter and more bombastic than any festival I’ve ever attended, with drums, dancing, non-stop food and drink and unbelievably exotic parties thrown in forts and palaces. The flow of alcohol reaches Hemingway proportions. Quite frankly, it makes Hay or Edinburgh look like afternoon tea with the vicar.
It’s free, and draws crowds from all over India. Jaipur And by crowds, I mean as many as 30,000 people in one day, many of them sleeping in the street or on the platforms of Jaipur railway station to attend. Stars this year included Tom Stoppard, the irreverent Briton-basher Shashi Tharoor, Bollywood superstar Nawazuddin Siddiqui and former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai. I got a 45-minute slot, too, as well as visiting a couple of local schools; the children I met formidably intelligent and informed Jaipur Literature Festival.
History of Jaipur Literature Festival
Jaipur Literature Festival, 2022 though widely popular in and outside India will just be celebrating its 10th year in 2016. The festival was initiated on modest grounds in the year 2006 with only 18 writes including William Dalrymple, Namita Gokhale, Shobhaa De and Hari Kunzru and 14 other authors and only 100 attendees Jaipur Tour Packages.
In the subsequent years, the attendance to the festival grew while more famous and distinguished names from the literary and other relevant disciplines began to participate in the extravaganza, which was acquiring a wider dimension now. In the year 2009, about 12,000 people attended the Jaipur Literature Festival with over 140 authors and speakers including Vikram Seth, Shashi Tharoor, Hanif Kurieshi, Ashok Vajpayee, Tariq Ali etc. speaking or participating in the event.
However, in the year 2012, the festival ran into difficulty when author Salman Rushdie cancelled his complete tour of India over the possible threats to assassinate him over the readings of his controversial book, The Satanic Verses. Later on even the Government of India intervened to stop the proposed video link between the author and the festival participants Jaipur Literature Festival.
For 2015, there were 181 speakers including the Nobel Laureate V.S Naipaul, Amish Tripathi and Chetan Bhagat etc. This year the festival also expanded beyond its usual boundaries of Diggi Palace, hosting over 300 events at 10 separate venues like Clarkes Amer, The Jaipur Attractions BookMark at Narain Niwas and also Amer Fort and Hawa Mahal as well. Again 2015 marked a new beginning for the festival when its spread its wings to London’s Southbank and Colarado in United States.
Jaipur Literature Festival Tickets
Jaipur Literature Festival is a free un-ticketed event, but registration for the same is compulsory. However, the Evening Music Sessions at Clarks Amer are ticketed and you need to contact the press office if you want to attend these events.
Timings for the Jaipur Literature Festival
The usual timings for the Jaipur Literature Festival are from 9.30 am-10 pm, including all the musical performances. However, for any change in the schedule or for more information you can contact us.
Sightseeing Around Jaipur Literature Festival
Since you would be in Jaipur for the Jaipur Literature Festival, you would want to explore the other destinations in the Pink City. The Hawa Mahal, a pyramidal palace built of red and pink sandstone, is the foremost attraction. Amber Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a masterpiece and assumes majestic proportions. Another example of outstanding architecture is the Jal Mahal Palace in Jaipur.
The Albert Hall, built in honor of the Princes of Wales, depicts the culture of Meenas, Bhils and Lohars. For the delights of shopping, head to places like Tripolia Bazaar, Johari Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar. The Doll Museum, which showcases dolls clad in various attires representing different cultures, is definitely worth visiting. Birla Planetarium, which showcases various facets of astronomy to the general public, also attracts tourists in large numbers.
How to Reach
People from all parts of the world come to observe the beauty and to know about cultural legacy of Jaipur Literature Festival. Being the major city of the country, Jaipur is well connected to almost every corner of India via different means of public transport including air, rail and road.