Jaipur Literature Festival and its concurrent shows have ushered in in-person cultural events in the country
Jaipur Literature Festival and its concurrent shows have ushered in in-person cultural events in the country
Jaipur in March is beautiful but hot. But I was just not letting the temperature drop below 40 degrees Celsius, which kept me away from the 15th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), the first cultural event of the year. This was also the view of the crowds thronging the new venue, Clarks Amer Hotel, to hear the new voices of litterateurs like bureaucrat-writer Daribha Lindem and M Mukundan.
During the day, visitors were tricked into headscarves, masks, light jackets and goggles with bagpipes (mannered by moustache men in the Rajasthani regalia), while cooler evenings continued the traditions previously celebrated at Diggy Palace – with names like With performances by Ujjwal Nagar, Hindustani classical maestro, Sufi singer Murlala Marwada, Kashmiri singer-songwriter Ali Safuddin, Hindi rock band Ankur and Ghalat Parivar, and The Kutle Khan Project.
Works by Puneet Kaushik. photo credit: Georgina Maddox
touch, feel, enjoy
However, what caught my eye was how the crowds easily get swept up in the city amid the many concurrent cultural events. The main thing apart from JLF was Vita nova: a new life, a two-part exhibition showcasing contemporary Italian and Indian art at both the Jawahar Kala Kendra and the Knowledge Museum. Curated by Maina Mukherjee and David Quadrio (and hosted by the Italian Cultural Institute along with the festival’s organizers), it showcased the works of Andrea Anastasio, Francesco Samiti, Marta Roberti, Puneet Kaushik, Raghav KK and Shilo Shiv Suleiman.
“Marrying a Painter” [Olivia Hamilton-Dalrymple] This means that I have always been interested in the visual arts. And unlike books, which can be read at home or on the Internet, art requires a certain physical presence,” said historian, author and JLF co-founder William Dalrymple. Bestselling author’s latest book, Forgotten Masters: Indian Painting for the East India CompanyAlso seen in art. “Now, more than ever, we must support this by going out and seeing it,” he said.
Shiloh Shiv Suleman reclaim the river
, photo credit: Georgina Maddox
from intimate to grand
At the Jawahar Kala Kendra, just 15 minutes away, the atmosphere was participatory, with visitors hanging out with the artists, and even sitting in small, secure groups discussing their work. “We took Dante’s literature” [ Divine Comedy] as inspiration for the two-site exhibition, to explore the changes, connections and departures between the craft traditions and contemporary art of Italy and India,” said Mukherjee. Epidemics and its effects are also syncretized with the epic works of the medieval Italian poet.
In the high-traffic knowledge half an hour away, the artworks were more intimate and sensitive. Puneet Kaushik’s works captivate you with narratives on “identity, stereotyping, gender violence and sexuality”, while Shiloh Shiva Suleiman’s works such as reclaiming the river The more than 12-foot-tall installation that explores the transformative power of rivers – and keyA bejeweled tree, which lit up when blown up by visitors, was grand and thought provoking.
It is heartening to see an increase of events across the country, with exhibitions planned for the next few months. The much awaited India Art Fair in Delhi at the end of April. “Who knows what the months after that will bring. Covid-19 and the human condition have proved themselves to be unpredictable, but we must move on,” says art historian Alka Pandey, who was present at JLF.
Vita Nova is till March 22.