Into its third edition this year, the Jaipur Literature Festival makes a grand showcase of creative and cultural stars on the literary horizon.

Authors, particularly aspiring ones, could hope to find answers to FAQs on ‘binding’ their dreams in the group discussion session involving eminent figures from preferred publishing houses. They began with debating about the differences (style of work, genre, treatment of authors etc) between established publishing houses and small independent ones. While they argued and defended their stands, it was to be surmised that in any case an author was not to expect the publisher to stay through thick and thin of his/her fortunes. The good part is that independent publishers, especially the Indian ones, apparently give you more chances than their bigger foreign counterparts. The discussion took a turn where one felt that the authors were just being spoken of as entities creating useful – or otherwise – material, all for money. It was then that a UK based author interrupted and said, “A writer is a tap that can’t be turned off - money or no money. And, publishers are damn lucky because writers are going to be here for a while…” The empathy with the creative force was touching. More touching was that the entire drift of the event was directed at combining and synergising energies to make the world a peaceful and joyful one, where all coexist. Even as we admired the proceedings, little did we realise that we were the subject of admiration too (or so my friend noticed!) Even as we ignored the solicitous smiles of one, we did get into the ‘gossip girl’ mode and realised that through the evening, amidst all the great people and great ideas being shared, quite a few other sentiments were up for exchange too. After all, what’s better than a like-minded companion for conversations over a glass of wine and live Sufi music in the background?! And, well, if your gossip instinct is at work and you are wondering about me…I am happily married! Marital status notwithstanding, anybody and everybody at the Jaipur Lit-Fest came off with an overarching sense of wellness, as far as literary pursuits of our generation were concerned…....Continue