Lit Up

Amartya Sen giving the keynote address yesterday.

Despite the rather frigid weather on Friday — the first day of the 2014 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival — the grounds of Diggi Palace were awash with people. The festival started with a performance by Sumitra Kamad who played with Rajasthani folk musicians creating a strident musical backdrop even as participants started streaming into the venue.
The keynote address was by Amartya Sen, who spoke metaphorically about a conversation he had with the “goddess of medium things” and the seven wishes he asked her for a better India. The wishlist included a desire for India to cultivate a classical, humanities-oriented education (given the country’s recent predilection for business and technical learning), the need for the media to cover news beyond business and glamour and concentrate on the poorest of the poor sections of Indian society as well as the decriminalisation of the controversial Section 377 that outlaws homosexuality. In his typical dry humour, the economist remarked, “I asked the goddess if she could reverse the reversal of the reversal of the Section.” Sen also spoke about how two of his other wishes were political. The first that the country have a strong, secular rightwing political party. He said he wanted to see a pro-market, pro-business party in power which didn’t use communalism for politics. The second that India have a more clear-headed Left front which concentrates on alleviating poverty rather than harp on about American imperialism.

After Sen’s address, the sessions of the day began. One of the first items on the menu was a talk by British chef, campaigner and writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall moderated by writer Jack Turner on the need for eating sustainably and responsibly. The chef also spoke about his television shows, Cook on the Wild Side and River Cottage. At the Charbagh tent, American novelist Jonathan Franzen battled philosophical questions with wit and dissected literary techniques, and talked about his books Correction and Freedom, and creating memorable characters. Gloria Steinem, on the other hand, jumped from subjects such as demarcating pornography and erotica, to the “cult of masculinity” and the need for decriminalisation of prostitution. “I don’t understand why feminism is viewed as a Western or a northern idea. It’s everywhere,” she said.

Elsewhere, visitors thronged the stalls and restaurants dotting the fest. Canvas stores retailed everything from handicrafts to pickles to shawls and stoles to handmade soaps and of course, books. There was even a frozen yoghurt stall which, in spite of the brisk wind and low temperatures, saw people lining up for parfaits and desserts. Clearly there’s more to JLF than just literature.