All about the Jaipur Literature Festival 2023- Day 2
This is a contribution post by Anushree Saha
Another day at the Jaipur Literature Festival, another memorable experience. Day 2 started off with the mesmerizing voice of award-winning vocalist Aditya Prakash. It was followed by Shashi Tharoor’s insights on democracy and ways to sustain it, in conversation with Tripurdaman Singh. Sudha Murthy spoke about her books, in her own jovial way.
Intriguing sessions in store at The Jaipur Lit Fest
One of the most intriguing sessions was of Javed Akhtar and Nasreen Munni Kabir in conversation with Sanjoy K Roy where they unveiled his book- Talking Life. Javed Akhtar spoke about the importance of orchestration of dialogues and the journey of ‘Mere paas maa hai’ dialogue becoming famous. He delved into his life history and loss of his mother. He emphasized on discovering layers, going deeper and not wider in his process of writing.
He said, “You don’t create Amitabh Bachchan, they are born.”, which brought in a resounding applause from the audience. He also spoke about his first name being Jaadu, his salary starting from Rs. 100 a month and his love for writing for villains- where he gets to share freedom with the characters.
Another impactful line by Akhtar Saab was, “I am an atheist because I think.”, which will stay with me forever. He added that it takes atleast 3 generations to get cured!
Special mention to the importance of subtitle translation, a hilarious incident which he narrated. In Haathi Mere Saathi- ‘Haathi haath dhoke piche pada hai’ was translated as ‘The Elephant is after you after washing hands!’ He ended it with mentioning Spiritualism being the second line of defense of religious people. There is so much more but space falls short for his words of wisdom.
For policy and world dynamics enthusiasts like me, the talk around LAC, Galwan and India-China border was an enlightening one. Manoj Joshi, Vijay Gokhale and Shyam Saran in conversation with Suhasini Haidar showcased their expert opinions on the topic.
Jaipur Literature Festival couldn’t have been perfect without the session of Gulzar Saab with his book -A POEM A DAY: 365 CONTEMPORARY POEMS in conversation with Rakhshanda Jalil. A delightful afternoon where he spoke about the need for this book for youngsters who have a short attention span and in multiple Indian languages. He added the value of dialects, local languages and said that ‘All are national languages for him.’ His collection of beautiful Nazms in his powerful voice, still echo in my ears – which I was blessed to hear.
Sharing one with you: Lamination by Shefali Debbarma–
“Woh card pichde kabile (Scheduled Tribe) ke certificate ka, Mohr lagage dastakhat karke mila tha, ek afsar se subdivision ke us baras, jab paaida hui thi mai.
Kahi woh Kagaz kharab na ho- riza aur pichra (ghagra aur choli) ki teh mai rakhke maa ne, khuturuk (wooden trunk) mai rakhke mehfuz kar dia tha.
Sadi ke baad, aaj woh poshak phat chuke dhaaga dhaaga hokar, khuturuk ko dimak ne khaa liya hai, magar woh pichde kabile ka card, bacha hua hai- usi tarah chamkila, laminate ke frame par.”
Historian John Keay spoke about the wonder that is the Himalayas and unfolded its myriad mysteries with the audience. Namita Gokhale engulfed the audience in her world of books and advocacy for Indian literature across the globe. Merlin Sheldrake was in conversation with Janice Pariat, where they discussed the world of fungi- unique topic through the eyes of an award-winning biologist called Entangled Life.
A wonderful goosebumps-filled day, accompanied by a lot of takeaways and learnings, Day 2 of JLF 2023 ended on a high note.
Anushree Saha aka My Word Bubble (blog) is an avid reader, writer and knowledge-seeker from Mumbai, who believes herself to be a Philomath- a lover of learning. She is a freelancer, book blogger, poetry, art and journaling enthusiast. Her poems have been previously published in anthologies such as Carnations, Beyond Life, Anika and Little Love notes. Also, an Amazon Verified Influencer, you can explore her bookish world further on Instagram.
