A spirited start to ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival 2015
The first day of the eighth edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, kicked-off with a healthy mix of sessions, which focussed on topics related to cinema, poetry, food and mythology.
The festival opened to a packed audience at the Rajnigandha Front lawns. Musical performances of Chugge Khan and Sonam Kalra, were appreciated by all. Rajasthan Chief Minister, Shrimati Vasundhara Raje, a regular visitor, inaugurated the festival and welcomed everyone. She also expressed her joy at the growth of the festival over the years.
One of the sessions featured Pulitzer Prize winner, Vijay Seshadri, Sahitya Akedemi awardee, Arvind Krishna Mehrotra and cultural activist Ashok Vajpeyi, having a discussion on ‘The Poetic Imagination.’
Celebrated chef, Vikas Khanna, released his latest book- ‘Masterchef India Cookbook’, at Char Bagh. He also interacted with enthusiastic fans. He also spoke about the culinary revolution which is currently happening in India. ‘A few years back, you could not have even thought that one day a chef will grace the covers of some upmarket magazine. There is a definite change in the air,’ said Khanna.
The venue also played host to a discussion on ‘A house for Mr Biswas’, featuring Hanif Kureshi, Amit Chaudhri and Paul Theroux, to celebrate 50 years of Sir VS Naipaul’s groundbreaking masterpiece. Naipaul made a rare public appearance at the festival, and lent insights into his book and its importance in contemporary literature.
The first day also witnessed discussions around the literature of cinema, while keeping with one of its themes this year. Veteran actor, Naseeruddin Shah also discussed his autobiography along with his former teacher to a packed audience. Javed Akhter took the visitors on a lyrical discovery of the beauty of the songs interlinked with Urdu, Hindi and Hindustani musical traditions. The lyrical genius, Prasoon Joshi engaged in conversation with musicologist, Yatindra Mishra, on popular poetry and music, screenplay, Bollywood and advertising. The theme ‘cine-lit’ will continue throughout the festival. Also the role of literature in Indian cinema will be looked into and vice-versa.
Recommended for you
