Of Gaza, namaste etiquette, and vanishing tents

A literary pilgrimage akin to the Mahakumbh was how the annual Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) was described during the inauguration ceremony.

- Simar Bhasin

Though, over the years, it has spread across the globe with a presence in cities such as London, Houston, New York and Toronto, JLF is now an intrinsic part of the urban fabric of Jaipur. Every winter, authors and attendees travel great distances to be a part of the event. This year's programme, as always, offered a diverse mix that included eminent literary figures such as VV Ganeshananthan, Charlotte Wood, Jenny Erpenbeck and Geetanjali Shree, Nobel laureates such as Venki Ramakrishnan and Esther Duflo, and celebrities-turned-authors (Huma Qureshi, Prajakta Koli, Kal Penn).

What made this year's line-up really stand out was the presence of pro-Palestinian representation. This included names such as British-Palestinian author Selma Dabbagh, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and essayist Nathan Thrall, columnist Gideon Levy, and Indian author Pankaj Mishra. Sessions such as Geopolitics: Turmoil in West Asia and The World After Gaza were well attended, with panellists speaking of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the ceasefire.