Click to play videoJaipur: Day 1 of the five-day Jaipur Literature Festival kicked off with the inauguration by the Governor of Rajasthan.
The highlights of Day 1 included an informal session with the inimitable Vikram Seth speaking candidly on life and his family. Keeping it in the family, was his mother, Leila, the first woman chief justice of India, to discuss her memoir.
“I think having Vikram Seth was extraordinary, it's a measure of how respected the Jaipur lit fest has become, not just for session I moderated this morning, but he's hanging around, people can go up to him and chat with him, and get stacks of books signed,” said writer and journalist, Sonia Faleiro.
Leila Seth said, :“Everybody's invited in own capacity. Vikram tells me I haven’t come as his mother, as an independent author, and my daughter's come as a film-maker”.
This is one event, that's managed to put India and the city of Jaipur on the literary map, with nearly 170 authors attending this year.
“You try and do a mix, Vikram Seth, Vikas Swarup, hot from Slumdog Millionaire, and hot news that no one knows for next year - the Pak writer Daniyal Mueenuddin - I’m just going to introduce in the session right now. International names - Simon Schama, huge media star, made narrative history important again, also Mohun Bopa,” Author and Jaipur Literature Festival Director, William Dalrymple said.
Swarup read from his book Q & A, that's been made into the Hollywood blockbuster Slumdog Millionaire.
There's also Hari Kunzru, a contingent of writers from Pakistan, including Nadeem Aslam and Mohd Hanif. Though the festival goes on till Sunday evening.
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