We are happy & humbled to announce that the World’s largest literature festival has gone virtual on Dreamcast Virtual Platform.
Adapting with the changing times, although this is the 14th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival 2021 (JLF), however, this is the very 1st time that the festival is going Virtual and will be taking place from 19th-28th February.
The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) is one of the greatest literary shows around the world that is held annually every year. A perfect place for the miscellany of inspiring ideas and discussions. Every year, the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) brings together a diverse range of most spectacular writers, humanitarians, thinkers, politicians, sports professionals, business enthusiasts, entertainers, poets, leaders and many such exemplary humanitarians who have accomplished laurels in their own individual fields. Every year, JLF is held for about 4-5 days of agenda, however, with the power of going Virtual – The very 1st time JLF have extended their schedule to a 10-day literary fest featuring a versatile line-up of the most promising speakers from around the globe starting from writer George Packer, philosopher Michael Sandel, columnist Gautam Choubey and many more thought leaders along with the famous personalities right from Bill Gates to Shashi Tharoor to Priyanka Chopra Jonas to be part of the programme, thus making it one of most promising virtual edition one has ever witnessed.
According to the organizers, JLF is ready to set a new benchmark while entering the gateway of the virtual world. Dreamcast has amalgamated a perfect virtual platform by closely replicating the life-like 3D Designs of the beautiful venue as well as incorporated the functional features used by the participants, speakers as well as the press at JLF, keeping the festival essence intact. The platform offers comprehensive features right from Press Access only Lounge Area, 1:1 & Group Networking for seamless networking, Arcade Area to represent the Stalls, Festival Buzzaar, Seamless Teleportation & so much more to make the literary fest a major hit and bigger than ever before.
JLF 2021 virtual avatar is now live on Dreamcast’s virtual event platform & is already grabbing appreciation from all over the world for breaking the walls of traditional on-ground events. We are highly motivated for the next 10 days to unfold into the most knowledge & fun filled days on our platform.
We are glad to have created the virtual experience for World’s Largest Literature Festival – Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2021 on our platform. Let’s take a quick look at the key highlights of the platform and event’s daywise top updates.
Day 1: 19 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
The first day of the fair was power-packed with the most interesting sessions in-line. Here are the top highlights from the 1st day of the virtual edition of JLF:
19 Feb | 11:00 AM
ACROSS GENRES: CLASSICAL, FOLK AND POPULAR MUSIC
An intense musical session featuring Prasoon Joshi and Vidya Shah engaged numerous attendees. They spoke about their understanding and admiration of musical culture and traditions.
Prasoon Joshi in conversation with Vidhya Shah threw light on the vast cultural diversity along with the inherent unity of the heritage. The session lured in ample attendees to be a part of the JLF 2021 digital avatar.
After this stupendous session, various other sessions went throughout the day such as Of Nagarjuna, Sunyata And Stardust featuring Carlo Rovelli & Priyamvada Natarajan, Stormy Past, Contentious Present: The First Amendment Of The Constitution Of India that segmented a conversation between Tripurdaman Singh and Karan Thapar, ASIA VISION 2021 featuring Vivan Sharan, Mihir S. Sharma, Parag Khanna and Shruti Rajagopalan in conversation with Sajjid Z. Chinoy and many more to keep the show rolling.
19 Feb | 05:00 PM
UNFINISHED
The top highlight of the day was a session featuring Priyanka Chopra Jonas in conversation with Shobhaa De. The session grasped all the limelight with unbelievable attendance.
She open-heartedly talked about her ideologies and choices during the session.
‘Unfinished’ is one of the most inspirational books of the year taking readers down the lane of Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ journey from her childhood in India, formative teenage years in the US, to her return to India to winning beauty pageants to her acting career.
Post the breathtaking session with Priyanka Chopra, various other sessions were held. The digital session was followed by Gulabo Sapera And The Dance Of The Serpents featuring Gulabo Sapera in conversation with Tripti Pandey, Pandemics: Past And Future featuring Chinmay Tumbe and Laura Spinney in conversation with Ambarish Satwik, and many more to hold the attention of attendees and engage them effortlessly.
19 Feb | 07:00 PM
THE BATTLE OF BELONGING
Counted amongst one of the well-curated sessions of the day that hold the attention of many attendees. The session featured Shashi Tharoor and journalist Faye D’Souza.
Shashi Tharoor talked about his book The Battle of Belonging and articulated ideas and thoughts on nationalism and patriotism.
Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Faye D’Souza discussed these themes and ideas. In one particularly engaging segment, both discussed:
“There certainly is, I’m sorry to say, a delegitimising of dissent as some people who are in power today are essentially focusing on the idea that if you don’t agree with them you’re anti-national. So that entire category of whether you belong to the nation, of you having a claim on it is conflated with the extent of your willingness to support the government and to confirm to its idea of how you should be as a person.”(1)
The 1st day of the JLF digital avatar was packed with fun and excitement. The day ended with an amazing session Jaipur Music Stage: Anirudh Varma Collective.
Day 2: 20 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we move to the next day of the JLF virtual edition with full enthusiasm and energy, exciting sessions throughout the day await. Here are the most promising sessions and glimpses from the 2nd day of the JLF virtual edition:
20 Feb | 09:15 AM
MORNING MUSIC: HIMALIMOU
Day 2 at JLF virtual edition started with refreshing musical rhythms giving a soulful start to your day. HIMALIMOU band performed several different styles of music from distinctive regions. The melodious beats of the musical instruments and the joyous cheer boosted the vigor and energy in the performances.
After the soothing and harmonious session, the day was followed by various other interesting sessions in-line such as The edit project: music and meaning for our times, Journeys From The Margins: Annie Zaidi And Deepa Anappara featuring Deepa Anappara and Annie Zaidi in conversation with Shahnaz Habib and many more to keep the excitement level up throughout the day.
20 Feb | 12:00 PM
UNSCRIPTED
The session featured Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Abhijat Joshi in conversation with Vani Tripathi Tikoo. “Unscripted”, the book by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi take you down an extravagant journey to an exceptional life and career of Chopra, one of the greatest filmmakers in the Bollywood industry.
After a wonderful, harmonious, and entertaining session with the amazing directors, various other sessions are being organised such as Book Launch: The Good Girls, Divine Comedy: Dante Alighieri, Bihari Satsai, and many more.
20 Feb | 04:00 PM
MAXIMUM SCHEMES, MINIMUM WELFARE
A well-conceptualized session examining the welfare architecture in terms of state capacity and abilities received an outstanding response. The session featured Yamini Aiyar, Rohit Kumar Singh, Sucheta Dalal, and Hindol Sengupta in conversation with Mohit Satyanand.
After the brainstorming session, several other digital sessions followed in the line such as Sahir Ludhianvi: A Life In Poetry, Indian Cooking: The Science, The Art, The Philosophy, and many more adding charm to the 2nd day of the JLF virtual edition. The day ends on a melodious note with timeless qawwali musical beats, the last session of the day Jaipur Music Stage: Rehmat-e-nusrat.
Day 3: 21 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we rolled into the 3rd day of the exciting fest, promising sessions for attendees with a great inclination towards literature and poetry are scheduled for the day along with some other interesting sessions. Have a look at some of the major highlights of the day:
21 Feb | 10:00 AM
PHOOLSUNGHI – THE SCENT OF A TEXT
The session was presented by Rajasthan Patrika featuring Gautam Choubey and Francesca Orsini in conversation with Jatindra Kumar Nayak with a reading by Manoj Bajpayee. PHOOLSUNGHI is the first Bhojpuri novel that is being innovatively translated into English to bring the richness of Bhojpuri literature to the forefront by Academic and columnist Gautam Choubey. During the session, Choubey discussed the challenges faced during rendering the novel for contemporary readers.
Soon after the session loved by literature lovers, a session on a fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was hosted. The session featured Randeep Guleria, Chandrakant Lahariya, and Gagandeep Kang in conversation with Maya Mirchandani.
21 Feb | 11:00 AM
GHALIB: A WILDERNESS AT MY DOORSTEP
The session was a pleasing treat for the literature and poetry lovers. The session featuring Mehr Farooqi in conversation with Rana Safvi unwraps Mehr Farooqi’s literary biography Ghalibwas. Where she discussed the challenges faced during translation. It takes the reader down the lane of life and times of the iconic Urdu poet. The digital session was presented by Amar Ujala and received phenomenal responses from attendees.
After the session, various other sessions were lined up that even received appreciation from attendees, such as Book Launch: Locking Down The Poor: The Pandemic And India’s Moral Centre, One Two Three Four: The Beatles In Time, Apeirogon, The Editor’s Table, Maoism: A Global History and many more.
21 Feb | 06:00 PM
WHO RULES THE WORLD?
Another breathtaking session featuring Noam Chomsky in conversation with Sreenivasan Jain received an incredible response from attendees. The session celebrated Noam Chomsky in his book ‘Who Rules the World?’ During the session, Chomsky talks about the critical need for active public participation in changing policies.
The session was followed by various other interesting sessions such as Maharani Jindan Kaur: The Rebel Queen, All Power Corrupts. The day closes with Jaipur Music Stage: Belonging’ Feat. Jason O’rourke & Deepmoy Das.
Day 4: 22 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
Moving ahead, day 4 of the JLF 2021 virtual edition holds a mix of diverse sessions throughout the day. Here is a glimpse into the top highlights of the day:
22 Feb | 12:30 PM
UNRULY WAVES FROM THE SOUTH
The session tracing the forgotten histories along the coasts and islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans in Waves Across the South features Cambridge academic Sujit Sivasundaram in conversation with Sunil S. Amrith. The session through a light on the integral part of global history that is often ignored.
The session was followed by another session “DECOLONISING INDIAN HISTORY” featuring Manan Ahmed Asif and Priya Satia in conversation with Sunil S. Amrith.
22 Feb | 02:30 PM
WHY LEADERS LIE?
The interesting virtual session features John J. Mearsheimer in conversation with Vishnu Som, a prominent news anchor, and journalist. Political scientist John Mearsheimer gives insider insights for his bold and pertinent text Why Leaders Lie?
He talked about the “Truth About Lying in International Politics” and elaborated on the deceptions of world leaders. He discussed the necessity and effectiveness of lying behavior in the political realm.
The breathtaking session held the attention of many attendees and political lovers followed by various other sessions in-line such as Jaipur Bookmark Inaugural Address, Jbm Shorts: Dr. Krishna Manavalli, European Union Prize For Literature: Writing From Across Europe, and many more.
22 Feb | 8:00 PM
JAIPUR MUSIC STAGE ARCHIVES: THE RAGHU DIXIT PROJECT
The day ended on a melodious note with unique and energetic musical performances. The session featured India’s most inventive and charismatic musician Raghu Dixit. The session mesmerized the audience with alluring melodies.
Day 5: 23 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
Day 5 of the JLF 2021 virtual avatar holds a range of exciting and inspirational sessions for literature lovers along with some mind-blowing musical performances. Here are the top highlights of the day with most promising sessions:
23 Feb | 11:30 AM
SMRITIYON KE MANCHITRA: A MAP OF MEMORY
The inspiring and motivational session featured two prominent Hindi writers Chitra Mudgal and Alka Saraogi in conversation with Aditi Maheshwari Goyal. The session presented by Rajasthan Patrika gained a phenomenal response from attendees. Inspirational Chitra Mudgal and beloved Hindi writer Alka Saraogi shared about their history, memory and archiving, and the interface of novels and narratives with Editor, publisher, and academician Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal.
The inspirational and motivational session was followed by another session Shams-e-urdu: Sr Faruqi: The Sun Of The Urdu World featuring Mahmood Farooqui, a literary genius who influenced almost every genre of modern Urdu literature.
23 Feb | 01:30 PM
THE ART OF THE NOVEL
The session was a delightful treat for book lovers. The session featured the world’s four leading novelists Annie Zaidi, Colum McCann, Colm Tóibín, and Jeet Thayil in conversation with Moin Mir where they shared their valuable insights on the art of the novel and answered various questions about the evolution of the literature. The session received an overwhelming response from attendees and was a great success.
Post-session various other interesting sessions such as Smellosophy: The Mind And Body Connect featuring A.S. Barwich in conversation with Ambarish Satwik, Festival Directors’ Roundtable: How Do Competing Tensions And Power Structures Exert Pressure On Festivals And Their Programming?, Jbm Shorts: Udayan Mitra, and many more were organised that hold the attention of attendees effortlessly.
23 Feb | 8:00 PM
JAIPUR MUSIC STAGE ARCHIVES: LISA HANNIGAN
The day ended with the mind blowing performance of Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan.
Day 6: 24 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we swiftly step into day 6 of the JLF virtual edition, sessions from eminent celebrities await. Throughout the day various engaging sessions were held that captured the attention of attendees effortlessly. Here are some top highlights of the day:
24 Feb | 01:30 PM
INNOVATION, IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY
The session featuring Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Mugdha Sinha, Shubhendra Rao, and Roger Highfield in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy was one of the most engaging sessions of the JLF 2021 virtual avatar that received immense appreciation from attendees. The session holds discussions revolving around understanding culture, how should we reinterpret and regenerate its roots and how do innovation and creativity manifest in society with the constantly transforming world due to the COVID-19 outbreak. During the brainstorming, session speakers shared their own views and insight thus engaging attendees seamlessly.
Soon after the brainstorming session, a session “SIX SUSPECTS” with Vikas Swarup was organised for literature lovers.
24 Feb | 03:30 PM
YOUR BEST DAY IS TODAY!
An astonishing session featuring celebrated actor Anupam Kher received all the love and appreciation from attendees. During the inspiring session, Anupam Kher talks about his latest book ” Your Best Day is Today”. It is an amalgamation of experiences and lessons learned. The book is an attempt to guide you to connect with your inner self to deal with difficult times. Kher even talked about the importance of adapting to change and understanding that you are not alone during his conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy.
After the astonishing session with the well-known celebrity, various other session was organised throughout the day starting from Book Launch: Maanas: Our Behaviour (Truth-untruth), Embracing Nonlinearity: Immersive Storytelling In Digital Age, Extending The Novel: Fiction, Non-fiction, Translation and many more to keep the day rolling.
24 Feb | 8:00 PM
JAIPUR MUSIC STAGE ARCHIVE: KAILASH KHER
The most awaited musical performance of the day was the top highlight of the day featuring India’s leading pop-rock and Bollywood playback singer, Padama Shri Kailash Kher. He is well known for his distinct style influenced by folk and Sufi music.
The power-packed musical performance left everyone humming the beats.
Day 7: 25 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As day unfolds, various exciting session awaits. Here are the top highlights of day:
25 Feb | 11:30 AM
TECHNOLOGY AND CHANGE: VISION 2021
The session focuses on acceleration in technology due to disruptive and dysfunctional times. It features Shannon Vallor and K. VijayRaghavan in conversation with Arun Mohan Sukumar where they talked about the way forward for a more balanced and sustainable future in these unpredictable times.
The session was followed by another engaging session in line ‘FROM STREETS TO TWEETS: THE ERA OF DIGITAL ACTIVISM’ featuring Avijit Michael and Nida Hasan in conversation with Abhinandan Sekhri.
25 Feb | 01:30 PM
GIRL IN WHITE COTTON: THE STORY OF BURNT SUGAR
The session featured Avni Doshi in conversation with author and poet Janice Pariat where she talked about her booker shortlisted novel ‘Burnt Sugar’ which is published in India as ‘Girl in White Cotton’ a vivid and unsettling account following the complex relationship between a mother and daughter.
The session was a treat for literature lovers. Soon after the session gets over various other sessions such as The Vaccine And The Virus – A Moving Target, Publishing Market: International Exchange, The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize and more kept the attendees captivated.
25 Feb | 08:00 PM
JAIPUR MUSIC STAGE: JACK WARNOCK
The day ended on a musical note on the enchanting tunes of Irish multi-instrumentalist/singer JACK WARNOCK
Day 8: 26 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we entered the 8th day of JLF virtual edition, sessions from eminent personalities were lined up for the day to grab the attention of attendees effortlessly. Here are some of the glimpses of the day:
26 Feb | 10:00 AM
KEYNOTE SESSION: THE TYRANNY OF MERIT: WHAT’S BECOME OF THE COMMON GOOD?
The engaging session featured Michael Sandel in conversation with Shashi Tharoor. During the session, Michael Sandel talked about his new book ‘The Tyranny of Merit’.
Soon after the session gets over another interesting session featuring prominent personality is lined up to grab the attention of attendees effortlessly.
26 Feb | 11:00 AM
BILL GATES – HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE DISASTER: THE SOLUTIONS WE HAVE AND THE BREAKTHROUGHS WE NEED
The session featured Bill Gates in conversation with Alok Sharma where he talked about what we need to do to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. The session captivated the attention of attendees effortlessly and was one of the most engaging sessions in the list of JLF virtual edition.
Post the inspiring session various other sessions such as The House Of Jaipur, Fifth Sun: A New History Of The Aztecs, The Taj Mahal and more were organised.
26 Feb | 02:00 PM
THE MASTER
The session was a delightful treat for literature lovers as it features a master of expression and text, award-winning Irish writer Colm Tóibín in conversation with Nandini Nair. During the session, he talked about the roots of his writing process and celebrated career.
After the motivational sessions various other digital sessions such as The Truth Of Yoga, Reflections, Clearing The Air – Innovative Solutions For Pollution, Journeys Home and more were lined up for the day.
Day 9: 27 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we come closer to the end of JLF virtual edition, exciting and motivating sessions were lined up for the day to engage attendees. Here are top highlights of the day:
27 Feb | 10:00 AM
ASIA AND AUSTRALIA: MAPPING ALTERNATIVE REALITIES
The brainstorming session featured Yogendra Kumar, H.E. Barry O’Farrell, Shyam Saran, and Zorawar Daulet Singh in conversation with Jyoti Malhotra. During the conversation with editor and journalist Jyoti Malhotra, they evaluate the steps that nations, international institutions and people-to-people relationships can take.
After the brainstorming session, various other sessions went throughout the day starting from Constitutions And The Foundation Of Democracy, The Chipko Movement: A People’s History, Green Energy- Investments In The Future, Sports And A Billion Dreams: 2021 and many more.
27 Feb | 05:00 PM
THE CONNECTIONS AND DISCONNECTIONS BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA
The brainstorming session focusing on relations between India-china featured Tansen Sen in conversation with William Dalrymple. During his conversation with Festival Co-Director and author William Dalrymple, Sen breaks through traditional conceptions of understanding India-China connections and proposes new ways to explore the historical and contemporary relations.
Post session various other interesting sessions for literature lovers such as Two Blankets, Three Sheets, The Travel Session, And Agent Sonya was organised that held the attention of attendees effortlessly.
27 Feb | 07:00 PM
EVOLVING NARRATIVES: THE DIGITAL DREAMSCAPE
The fascinating session featured Vikram Chandra, Sudhir Mishra, Monika Shergill and Vikramaditya Motwane in conversation with Vani Tripathi Tikoo. During the session the panelists exchange ideas on the process of adapting dynamic scripts to the screen, reimagining the text for the visual medium and broadening the possibilities of immersive, authentic storytelling.
Soon after the session various other sessions such as Trump It Up: The Era Of Neo-nationalism And An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power (Link And Password In The Info.) were lined up to keep attendees captivated. The day ended on the melodious beats of Dhruv Visvanath.
Day 10: 28 Feb 2021 Top Highlights
As we come to the closing of JLF the virtual edition, the last day of the event was power-packed with exciting sessions from various genres. Here are the top highlights of the day:
28 Feb | 11:00 AM
KHAKI FILES: THE BADGE OF HONOUR
The session featured three prominent law enforcers Ajay Pal Lamba, Neeraj Kumar and Amod Kanth in conversation with writer and journalist Meenal Baghel. During the session, law enforcers shared engrossing insider stories with literary flair and deep insights.
Soon after the engrossing session various other sessions such as “Sangham Sharanam Gachhami: The Journey Of The Sangh”, “These, Our Bodies, Possessed By Light, Monuments Matter”, “The Making Of Hero”, Will China Shape The Future Of The World?” and many more went throughout the day.
28 Feb | 05:00 PM
BIOGRAPHERS BALL
The session brings together Samanth Subramanian, Ira Mukhoty and Srinivas Reddy as panelists to discuss what it means to bring the larger to life compellingly and authentically, and the challenges they face in doing so.
After the fantastic brainstorming session other sessions such as “Brown Baby” and “The Curious Incident Of The Author Who Couldn’t Be Categorised” were held.
28 Feb | 07:00 PM
DEBATE: THE VIRTUAL WORLD HAS BECOME MORE REAL THAN THE PHYSICAL
The session holds a discussion and debate about whether the virtual has taken over the physical. The brainstorming session featured several people from different genres starting from Writers, thinkers, futurists and traditionalists.
A heartfelt gratitude to everyone who plugged into JLF 2021 virtual edition
Last 10-day of the Jaipur Literature festival unfolded most inspiring, motivational and spendious sessions. With a promise of getting bigger and better for the next time, Dreamcast is extremely proud and humbled to state that the power-packed 10 days of JLF virtual edition hosted on our platform was a grand success. The exuberant features offered by the platform delivered immersive experiences to attendees all over the world just like physical events thus resulting in achieving immense appreciation and claps from prominent personalities.
Editor’s Note: The post is updated on a daily basis to keep the readers updated with the latest highlights & updates of the event.
