Samanth Subramanium in conversation with David Remnick at the DSC Jaipur Literature festival
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Day 1: Jaipur Literature Festival

DSC Jaipur Festival 2012 started here today at 20th January, at Diggi Palace in Jaipur.Festival brings a range of readings, talk’s debates, performances, and children’s workshops.

Samanth Subramanium in conversation with David Remnick at the DSC Jaipur Literature festival
Samanth Subramanium in conversation with David Remnick at the DSC Jaipur Literature festival

Festival started with the inaugural session and keynote address:
Bhakti poetry: The living legacy by purshottam Agarwal and Arvind Krishna Mehrotra.
After the inauguration, 22 sessions in total were held till the closing, 4 sessions progressing simultaneously at a given time.

Session “The disappointment of Obama” held at Mughal tent saw Editor of The New Yorker “David Remnick” in conversation with Samanth Subramanian, David discussed about his sixth book The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama which he published in 2010,that was during the early days of Obama presidency.

Pola Oloixarac with people at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival
Pola Oloixarac with people at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival

Mohammed Hanif Known for his first novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008) which was shortlisted for the 2008 Award was seen in conversation in the session named “Our Lady of Alice Bhatti” which is the name of Hanif’s second novel. He also talked on various issues like condition of Christians in Pakistan and his journey as a journalist and now as a novelist.

 

As expected audience drew in hordes in the session “The Truth of Poetry and the Truth of Politics” in which our honourable Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Kapil sibal shared the stage with poet Ashok Chakradhar and writer Namita Gokhale.” However, the show faded as the light conversation and poetry reading turned into a bizarre when Young men from the audience broke into tears and blamed government for taking away the job of educated unemployed people like him, only because he cannot speak English. He said,” The government should kill young men like us,”

Michael Ondaatie in conversation with Amitava Kumar at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival
Michael Ondaatie in conversation with Amitava Kumar at the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival

Sibal, was rescued by co-writer and poet Ashok Chakradhar, who said, “Certain questions cannot be answered.”
On the topic of anti corruption and activist Anna hazare, Sibal said, “I don’t know the peace to peacefully deal with Anna Hazare. Peace can come with dialogue. If you say my way his highway… then there is no peace,”

 

Also terrific writers with specials on drama and poetry were present.

Playwrights Tom Stoppard, David Hare, Girish Karnad, Ariel Dorfman, Kiran Nagarkar and Asghar Wajahat participated. From the US two sought-after writers, novelists Annie Proulx and Lionel Shriver were seen. Proulx’s fiction has been turned into highly successful film adaptations such as Brokeback Mountain and The Shipping News and Shriver’s acclaimed prize-winning novel We Need to Talk About Kevin caused a small sensation at the Cannes festival last summer, becoming an avidly-discussed movie, for its theme of a damaged mother-son relationship that culminates in the young buy going on a murderous rampage.
First day at the Jaipur Literature festival 2012 witnessed some big names and intellectual sessions for the audience and crispy drama for the media.

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