Jaipur Literature Festival 2025 unveils its first list of sessions

The Jaipur Literature Festival returns for its 18th edition from January 30 to February 3 at Hotel Clarks Amer Jaipur Indiarsquos curation company and festival producer Teamwork Arts revealed the first list of sessions for the 2025 programme which will once again reinforce the transformative power of books and ideasWith an everevolving legacy the festival is a crucial platform of local and global voices The upcoming edition promises to foster dialogue bridge divides and spotlight diverse perspectives with a carefully curated lineup With over 300 eminent speakers this years Festival will feature debate discourse and storiesAmong sessions that have been announced includePoor Economics for the YoungIn their intriguing book Poor Economics for Kids Nobel Prizewinner Esther Duflo and renowned illustrator Cheyenne Olivier explain economic concepts to younger readers encouraging them to open their minds and broaden their perspectives Together Duflo and Olivier discuss the early foundation of social awareness and empathy it seeks to establishOur City That YearInternational Booker Prizewinner Geetanjali Shree allows glimpses of startling insight into the fragmented atmosphere and psyches of a society of friends and individuals marked by the divisiveness of communalism in Hamara Shahar Us Baras translated into Our City That Year by International Booker Prizewinning translator Daisy Rockwell At this session Shree speaks about how her novel tells the story of any city any year at a time when sectarian divides are globally on the riseDavid Hare A Life in Theatre and FilmBAFTAwinning playwright David Hare author of iconic works such as The Secret Rapture The Absence of War and Skylight and celebrated as lsquothe finest living British dramatistrsquo gives us insight into his creative process and the inspirations and moments that have shaped his careerIndiarsquos First DiplomatsNehruvian foreign policy and the first line of diplomats who walked the line between internal consolidation and external threat are explored in rich detail in journalist Kallol Bhattacharjeersquos Nehrursquos First Recruits The Diplomats Who Built Independent Indiarsquos Foreign Policy In this session which explores how the diplomat becomes pivotal to the process of statecraft Bhattacharjee will be in conversation with former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan TCA Raghavan author and former diplomat Navtej Sarna former assistant secretarygeneral at the UN Lakshmi Puri and former High Commissioner of India to Canada Vikas SwarupRoman Year A MemoirAuthor Distinguished Professor at CUNY and winner of the Whiting Award Andreacute Aciman has over 17 works of fiction and nonfiction to his name Globally acclaimed for his tender depictions of love loss and adolescence in Call Me By Your Name Aciman is wellknown for his absorbing narratives and their unflinching explorations of emotion In this session bestselling author Andreacute Aciman recounts his journey through love memory and identity with novelist Shivani SibalKairos The Heart DividedWinner of the International Booker Prize 2024 Kairos The Heart Divided by Jenny Erpenbeck translated by Michael Hofmann centres around a passionate but destructive love affair set against the backdrop of East Berlin in the 1980s As the region crumbles so does the relationship revealing the complexities of power betrayal and the shifting loyalties of an era in flux Erpenbeck and Hofmann explore the philosophical tensions of choice and fate bringing together art and politics in this deeply reflective sessionThe Personal Is Political An Activists MemoirAwardwinning activist Aruna Royrsquos powerful memoir The Personal Is Political captures her profound engagement with public service in India along with her personal journey through the decades In this session she discusses the pivotal moments from her life including her leadership in passing the Right to Information Act impelling the government to be transparent about their actions her contribution to empowering local communities in Tilonia at the Social Work and Research centreWhy We Die The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for ImmortalityNobel laureate and structural biologist Venki Ramakrishnanrsquos new book Why We Die examines the human fascination and fear of death Spanning across the frontiers of biology and scientific research Ramakrishnan questions mortality and the transformation that takes place within human physiology In conversation with Roger Highfield Ramakrishnan evaluates the cheat code of human existence and the quest for immortalityThe UpsideDown World Meetings with the Dutch MastersBenjamin Moserrsquos The UpsideDown World is an ode to Dutch artists taking readers on a twentyyearjourney of his time in Holland that chronicles his arriving in the Netherlands as a young writer to his discovery of the creative masters who shaped the Dutch Golden Age of Art Describing how he found solace and friends amongst longgone artists Moser will discuss the neverending questions about the story of art why we create and why that mattersAmol Palekar The ViewfinderIn his memoir The Viewfinder iconic actordirector Amol Palekar reflects on his life and career offering a deeply personal look at Indian cinema and creativity Joined by filmmaker Sandhya Gokhale he shares candid stories and insights with Festival Producer and Managing Director Teamwork Arts Sanjoy K Roy taking readers and listeners on a journey through the evolution of storytelling art and performance in Indian cinemaTwo Sages Gandhi and TolstoyMahatma Gandhi and Leo Tolstoy were contemporaries and had a long friendship exchanging letters despite never meeting in person Gandhi was deeply influenced by Tolstoyrsquos The Kingdom of God is Within You In this compelling session their distinguished descendants Gopalkrishna Gandhi and Daniil Tolstoy reflect on the inheritance of ideas and the enduring legacies of the two iconic thinkers exploring their relevance both in the past and presentDeep Water The World in the OceanA sweeping exploration of humanityrsquos intricate ties to the ocean author James Bradleys latest book Deep Water examines the role of the ocean as lifersquos cradle a force of history and a fragile lifeline In conversation with Mridula Ramesh the Australian Ambassador to India Philip Green and environmentalist Yuvan Aves Bradley discusses this environmental urgency and the intertwined bond between humanity and planet earthLong and the ShortIs brevity the soul of wit Is length essential for gravitas What challenges and rewards do different writing forms present Namita Gokhale Codirector of the Jaipur Literature Festival and awardwinning author and Lucy Caldwell whose Openings Thirteen Stories explores love loss and the human condition set against contemporary Ireland discuss the contrasting worlds of longform writing epic sagas and weighty fiction and the allure of short stories flash fiction and slim volumesTo view the full programme please visit httpsjaipurliteraturefestivalorgNamita Gokhale festival codirector remarked ldquoThe Jaipur Literature Festival 2025 is a dynamic mosaic of books and ideas conversations and arguments explorations and epiphanies We interrogate the changing realities of our fractured world and search for inspiration and belief in a better one From Mystics and Madmen to Economics for the Young from geopolitics to the ancient academia of Nalanda from food in all its flavours to mountain mammals an unfolding voyage of discovery with each day opening up new wonders and new vistasrdquoWilliam Dalrymple festival codirector shared The 2025 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival encapsulates the spirit of our eventmdasha celebration of diverse voices and powerful narratives that engage challenge and inspire audiences from around the world We are thrilled to present a lineup that reflects the Festivals essence of intellectual and cultural exchangeSanjoy K Roy managing director of Teamwork Arts said The Jaipur Literature Festival continues to be a beacon of dialogue and storytelling showcasing the profound impact of literature on understanding and empathy Each edition reaffirms its role as a vibrant platform where ideas and voices come together to foster a shared sense of humanityThe 2025 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival will also host a range of segments that run in parallel to it each year the Jaipur BookMark JBM which will celebrate its 11th edition as a premier B2B platform for the publishing industry bringing together publishers authors literary agents and industry leaders the Jaipur Music Stage that showcases electrifying performances by renowned Indian and international musicians Heritage Evenings set against Jaipurrsquos historical backdrops the Festival Buzzaar which offers diverse artisanal products to shop from the Festival Bookshop which stocks books by Festival authors and finally an exclusive Friend of the Festival package that lets attendees savour a curated experience of the festival