Zee Jaipur Literature Festival a sell out success at the British Library

The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival @The British Library in London was successfully held from May 21-22, 2017. Some of the world’s leading travel writers gathered together in Footloose: The Travel Session to discuss their personal journeys and the experiences behind their writings. Anthony Sattin, Hugh Thomson, Samanth Subramanian with William Dalrymple demonstrated that although the most historic form of literature, travel writing has an unending capacity for reinvention. While, singer and author Vidya Shah shared long lost music recorded by women in India, in the early days of the gramophone.

Constitutional experts all over the world examined the challenges faced by new and changing political realities all over the world, and how to understand and implement established legal systems in a shifting context. In a session exploring Lutyen’s Delhi, Delhi biographer Malvika Singh claimed, citizens should “take ownership” of their city spaces to create a workable city. The author of many books about the city elaborated: ‘The main point is citizens should take ownership of their spaces, protest, walk the talk and not just take what is doled out.’ There were many more interesting sessions, which attracted full audience at the event.

ZEE JLF@The British Library is the first of five cultural strands which form part of the India – UK Year of Culture in 2017, celebrating the deep cultural ties and exchange between the two nations in what is a year of great significance for the world’s largest democracy. The year-long programme also includes India@Edinburgh in August, The Independence Gala@Southbank Centre in October, a season of Dance & Theatre and the UK Premiere of the Bharat Symphony by Dr L. Subramaniam and the London Symphony Orchestra in November.