5 High Points Of Jaipur Literary Festival 2012

Monday, January 23, 2012, 16:31

This years Jaipur Literary Festival is enjoying its 15 minutes of fame to the fullest. It is undeniably the biggest and the most prestigious literature festival of the East and happens in all splendor around this time of the year. However there has never been so much hype around it in these 5 years. The organisers had promised to make this an celebrity even that is global and they have succeeded (with help from some over enthusiastic writers).

Here are some of the main high points of the Jaipur Literary Festival 2012 that has made it front page news for a week now.

High Points Of The Jaipur Literary Festival:

1. Will Mr. Rushdie Be Coming? This year's literature festival at the great Diggi Palace in Jaipur was drenched in controversy even before it kicked off. The confusion regarding whether ex patriot writer Salman Rushdie was invited to this event or registered to be a part of it was widely debated. Mr. Rushdie was forced to flee India after the publication of his 4th book subsequently banned, Satanic Verses in 1988. considering the fact that Rushdie is a British citizen now it was not clear whether he would get visa clearance.

2. Royal Inauguration: Instead of the typical literary figure inaugurating the event, it was inaugurated 'royally'. The Queen Mother of Bhutan, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuk was specially flown in to kick off the festival by lighting the holy lamp. That leaves no doubt that eyeballs were grabbed.

3. Salman Rushdie Cancels Visit: Following threats and uproar about the news of Rushdie's participation in this literature festival, the expelled writer had to actually give a declaration that he is not coming to India. He stated the reason as a threat to his life confirmed by intelligence agencies.

4. Breaking The Ban: Satanic Verses was a book banned in India 2 decades now, including its public reading and promotions. This ban was broken by two writers participating in the Jaipur Literary festival this year. Portion, especially the controversial portions were read out by Hari Kunzro and Amitav Kumar to show solidarity to the writer and his right to expression. Although the organizers denied responsibility, the festival was threatened with a shut down as an important Supreme court order and Government of India rule was openly flouted here.

5. Oprah Winfrey In A Saree: The biggest star attraction of this festival happened to be the great television personality and actress from US, Oprah Winfrey. She attended the festival among unparallelled adoration and excitement. She spoke at length about her childhood, struggling years and philosophy of life. Oprah's association with literature is not arbitrary as she has a her own prestigious book club that recommends books to young readers.

These were the 5 things to know and never forget about the Jaipur Literary festival this year.