Jaipur literary fest Diary: Day 3

The most important day of the five, enthusiasts saw some riveting sessions.

Shivangi Singh

Clearly the most significant day out of the five days of celebration of literature in Jaipur, literature enthusiasts witnessed some riveting sessions. The highlight of the day was presence of Amitabh Bachchan, who was at the venue to launch his ‘Bachchanalia’ – The films and memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan. His stately arrival was met with screams and thundering applause and the actor clearly seemed at his charming best.Chetan Bhagat: The people’s author The bright day at Jaipur began with novelist Chetan Bhagat, in an intimate and frank discussion with the festival director Namita Gokhale and literary critic Jai Arjun Singh. The common man’s writer, who promised of going ‘massier and massier by the day’ thanked the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival for inviting him and said that ‘Now I can put it on my CV that I was invited to speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival on the same day as Amitabh Bachchan!’ When Jai Arjun Singh made the observation that many critics considered Bhagat’s books as ‘un-literary’, the best-selling novelist replied, ‘it’s all about reaching people. 30% of people think my writing is nonsense, 70% get into it. You have to have the conviction that this will work, and this is what I want to write. I am dealing with real people and real stories. Whether it is literary or not is not the point.’ Patrick French and Pico Iyer on Naipaul Patrick French, was seen in an engrossing conversation with Pico Iyer, as he enlightened the crowd about his journey of writing VS Naipaul’s biography. French said, ‘The World Is What It Is’, encapsulated the Naipaul philosophy in six words.’ Pico Iyer said that his own life had completely stopped when he picked up the biography last year, which explores themes such as the price of pursuing talent, and the merit in devoting oneself to writing books in a technological age when people are ‘more interested in writers than writing.’ French said of Naipaul that ‘although his books are revelatory, the self remains hidden. It is hard to know what is really going on in his heart or his head.’ French said that he always had sympathy for ‘people who do strange things out of passion’ and that perhaps all the stories of Naipaul’s behaviour had detracted from his worth as ‘the most important and interesting writer of the late part of the 20th century. Mohammed Hanif provided comic relief Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif in conversation with Basharat Peer, lightened the intense atmosphere after talking extensively and amusingly about the process of writing and read extracts from his highly satirical first novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, which met with hearty applause and laughter from the packed book-lovers. When asked about the situation in Pakistan, Hanif, who lives in Karachi, said he thought it was ‘pretty bad’ but that it was important to retain hope. He went on to say that 167 million people are living there, ‘in daily struggle,’ and that the majority want a moderate Pakistan which will move the current situation forwards, illustrated by how people voted in the elections last year. Poignant discussion on Kashmir The festival saw, three of the most prominent personalities in media and literature, Basharat Peer, Hari Kunzru and Tarun Tejpal discussing passionately on the Kashmir issue. Novelist Hari Kunzru, of Kashmiri ancestry, said his own story was one of ‘disconnection from Kashmir’ because his family had left there 150 years ago, yet he observed there still remained a strong fusion of Islamic and Hindu cultural elements in his family. Basharat, from Kashmir, his recent book, Curfewed Night, was his attempt to look for ‘a way forward in this tragic situation’. It was observed that neither Pakistan nor India were likely to give up their claim on Kashmir, but then neither were the Kashmiris themselves. Bollywood and the written word It was interesting to see writers and filmmakers sharing space at the festival. Four writers and filmmakers – Lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Actress-director Nandita Das, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ writer Vikas Swarup and writer Nasreen Munni Kabir, engaged in a funny and fascinating discussion about one of the world’s most renowned film industries – Bollywood. The topic was the usage of language and dialogue in Bollywood. Prasoon Joshi observed that entertaining films often had ‘more impact’ than serious films, since their messages about society and values could be absorbed in a more unconscious way by an audience with ‘no guards up.’ Vikas Swarup expressed the importance of ‘a solid script’ for a good film to be to be possible. Actress turned director Nandita Das, who has been in news for her critically acclaimed venture ‘Firaq’ said she thought that regional cinema was more free to be more creative and it was ‘far more difficult’ to survive creatively in the bigger pond of the mainstream industry. When asked where she thought Indian cinema was going, Nandita Das said ‘all kinds of films are being made, and through sheer numbers, there will always be a certain amount of gems that come out.’