Day 2- 22nd January 2009

Jaipur, Thursday: It’s the 2nd day of the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival Asia’s leading literary event attracting authors, publishers and book lovers from across the globe. There were some interesting sessions that were held at the various venues of Diggi.

IMAGINIG INDIA: Nandan Nilekani with Patrick French

Nandan Nilekani and Patrick French engaged in a fascinating and witty talk at the start of the second day of the DSC Jaipur Literarature Festival, in the spectacular Durbar Hall at Diggi Palace Hotel. Nandan Nilekani said that his book, Imagining India, aimed to understand India through the evolution of its ideas, and that it looked at the past, present and future in order to this. He spoke passionately about the democratisation of technology, such as wide access to mobile phones, and the increasing digitisation of land records. He urged for more jobs and education opportunities to be created, and for the subsidies system to be made more efficient so that they reached the people who needed it most. When asked about the recent global financial collapse, he said that ‘an alternative system of greater regulation is needed.’  He regards his book as an attempt to ‘identify the challenges and possible ways forward so that democracy can become an instrument of competitive advantage rather than people seeing it as a drag.’ At the end of the day, Nilekani is optimistic: ‘we should not be downcast but instead focus on solving what we have to do.’ When asked what inspired him to write a book, he quipped ‘I wanted an invitation to the Jaipur literature festival. This is the highlight of my life.’


THE WASTED VIGIL: Nadeem Aslam with Shoma Chaudhury


The award-winning novelist, Nadeem Aslam read from his latest novel, The Wasted Vigil and talked movingly about the cultural aspects of Islam that inspire him, and what it means to him to be a Muslim from Pakistan today. He said that before 9/11 happened, ‘I hadn’t consciously thought of myself as a Muslim. I didn’t pray, I drank, those sort of things. After 9/11 I said, yes I am a Muslim. It sends a message to the world that a Muslim is not just a guy with a beard and it also sends message to Osama Bin Laden, that I refuse to let you define what a Muslim is.’ This sentiment was met with loud applause from the packed audience in the Durbar Hall at Diggi Palace, the stunning venue of the fourth DSC Jaipur Literature Festival. He said he had decided to write his latest novel, The Wasted Vigil about Afghanistan, because as a country, ‘it is forgotten.’ Although Afghanistan is in the news every day, Aslam said it was only visible in terms of what it is doing to the rest of the world, rather than as ‘a ravishing country ravaged by war.’ He also observed that countries are taken to war by those people in power rather than by a population, therefore ‘no amount of cultural exchange can stop that.’ But he hoped that this would change when new generations, seeking peace, came into power.

RESTRUCTURING THE ARCHIVE AS A FOUNTAIN OF CREATIVITY: Alice Albinia, Christophe Jaffrelot, Patrick French, Khaushik Bhaumik, Mukund Lath, Neville Tuli

The panel discussed the importance of archives as a source of creativity, and how different kinds of archives inform the researcher in different ways, such as visual archives which give voice to people who were illiterate or historically without a voice. Khaushik Bhaumik spoke of how archives remain effectively ‘dead’ unless they are reinvigorated by the researcher’s own imagination, which can transform the past into something that is creatively new, whether it be a work of art or an interpretation of history. He also emphasised the importance of public archives, saying they are the ‘knowledge-base’ of the whole world, yet they receive so little patronage. Alice Albinia talked of the importance of preserving the heritage and culture of India through systematic archiving. Chrisophe Jaffrelot talked of the difficulty of maintaining image archives so that they do not decay, especially photographs if they are not properly stored. Patrick French spoke of ‘the excitement of handling the letters, the notebooks’ of his writing subjects, and the frustration of how much valuable archive is thrown away or destroyed by friends and family. He also warned that the ‘golden age’ of archiving is perhaps ‘over’ since much will be lose to the ether in this age of text and email.

 

THE STORY OF MY ASSASSINS: Tarun Tejpal, in conversation with Shoma Chaudhury and Marc Parent


Tarun Tejpal, founder of Tehelka, journalist and novelist talked engagingly to a packed audience about his recent novel, The Story of my Assassins and the different challenges of writing about India. He said the two most attributes important to a novelist were empathy and distance, and that it was a great challenge to write about India because ‘India is the most complex and contentious society in the world by far. There is every kind class, caste, language, religion in India, so much material, it is almost too much.’ He thought this was also why a thread of manic humour ran through his writing, because it was impossible to write about India without getting farcical. He reminded the audience of the importance of books and ideas in shaping great individuals and society, saying that novels were meant to illuminate and subvert so that new ways of seeing were possible. He worried that ‘we are becoming a lesser people because we don’t go to books anymore for understanding.’ He also talked of the differences between writing novels and journalism, saying that they supported each other, but that ultimately the business of the writer was more exploratory, and the journalist’s role was more like a warrior. He spoke of his admiration for George Orwell who managed to do both: ‘to engage at an activist level and yet still have the distance to attain a perspective that characterises more lasting writing.’

INDO-BRITISH BASH – FOOD, FUSION AND FUNK: Lunch hosted by Hotel Clarks Amer

The five star hotel, Clarks Amer generously hosted a spectacular lunch today, to celebrate the fourth DSC Jaipur Literature Festival. Authors and delegates were invited to relax poolside in the sunshine, and eat as much as they could from the delicious international banquet. There was also a scintillating live cooking demonstration by TV celebrity chef Manju Malhi. Gracious hostess Timmie Kumar, of Clarks Amer, said that she enjoyed being involved in the festival because ‘I always have so much fun with the Jaipur Literature Festival. It’s wonderful that there are so many different cultures and authors coming together, and it’s really getting better every year.’ She added that she hoped to continue with her support of the festival in future years.

 

ORAL TRADITIONS: PERFORMANCE AND LITERATURE: Arshia Sattar  with Wendy Doniger


Scholars Arshia Sattar and Wendy Doniger, engaged in a lively and fascinating discussion about oral and written traditions in Hindu mythology. Wendy Doniger read from her latest book, The Hindus: An Alternative History, which brings together many, often unknown, voices that have helped to shape Hinduism in a creative way, including those of women, Muslims and contemporary novelists. Doniger said that Hinduism itself was in constant flux, and her aim with this book was ‘to mess up that attitude of stasis that is so destructive.’ She observed that oral traditions had always been very alive in Hindu mtythology, whether in Sanksrit or the languages of the vernacular – Hindi and Pali – because the majority of the population at that time could not read and write. This meant there was a fluidity in the stories of Hinduism, which were constantly adapted and re-imagined according to the region, gender and caste of the storyteller and audience, such as the ‘innumerable’ oral versions of the The Mahabarata. Doniger illustrated her talk with many stories from Hindu mythology and conjectured about some of the symbolism, such as dogs as a metaphor of upward mobility, and horses as symbols of invasion and heroism.

THE STORY OF MY ASSASSINS: Tarun Tejpal in conversation with Shoma Chaudhury & Marc Parent


Tarun Tejpal, founder of Tehelka, journalist and novelist talked engagingly to a packed audience about his recent novel, The Story of my Assassins and the different challenges of writing about India. He said the two most important attributes to a novelist were empathy and distance, and that it was a great challenge to write about India because ‘India is the most complex and contentious society in the world by far. There is every kind class, caste, language, religion in India, so much material, it is almost too much.’ He thought this was also why a thread of manic humour ran through his writing, because it was impossible to write about India without getting farcical. He reminded the audience of the importance of books and ideas in shaping great individuals and society, saying that novels were meant to illuminate and subvert so that new ways of seeing were possible. He worried that ‘we are becoming a lesser people because we don’t read books anymore for understanding.’ He also talked of the differences between writing novels and journalism, saying that they supported each other, but that ultimately the business of the writer was more exploratory, and the journalist’s role was more like a warrior. He spoke of his admiration for George Orwell who managed to do both: ‘to engage at an activist level and yet still have the distance to attain a perspective that characterises more lasting writing.’

 TOWN HALL DEBATE: TEHELKA AS METAPHOR – IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE HONEST IN INDIA?  Madhu Trehan and Manoj Raghuvanshi

Madhu Trehan and Manoj Raghuvanshi led an emotive and exciting debate on the issue of whether it is possible to be honest in India and prosper. When put to the audience, the almost universal answer was a resounding ‘no’. Raghuvanshi listed a catalogue of examples of corruption and dishonesty in Indian society, from the most local level water to the highest levels of the political establishment. She read from her acclaimed book, Prism me a Lie: Tell me a Truth, and observed that it seems to be ‘not only socially acceptable but also mandatory to be a scampster.’ Many members of the audience shared their personal stories of exploitation and manipulation, from dishonest rickshaw drivers to corrupt planning officials, and usually involving bribery. Raghuvanshi speculated that this ability for mendacity perhaps evolved as a survival tactic during the British Raj, until deceit became so normalised that now if one is upright, ‘there is a high cost.’ However, some members of the audience did believe it was possible to be honest and still prosper, and that it was up to everyone to challenge and change institutionalised corruption through their own example.

 

IN CONVERSATION : Rana Dasgupta & Tash Aw two established young authors from Delhi and Malaysia enamored the audience with reading from their respective novels – Solo and Map of the Invisible World.

Dasgupta, widely regarded as a remarkable stylist with Marquezian streaks, gave out some fragmented, but undeniably moving accounts. It was an experience filtered through the heroes eyes, and the pain, hopes and eroticism experienced by him came alive.

Tash Aw, winner of the prestigious Whitbread Award, for The Harmony Silk Factory, read out another moving portion from his latest book – Map of the Invisible World.

While Dasgupta’s style was more incumbent, towards surrealism, or writes in a clear, matter of fact style.  Thematically, however, both come closer to a sense of loss – loss of memories, home, and origin – looked through a filter of deep melancholy.

ANCESTOR’S STONE

‘I went looking for evil, and found,’ – proclaims the Samuel Jhonson award winner, Aminatta Forna, widely regarded as one of the most promising new authors coming out of Sierra Leone. Born in a family of rebels, he father executed by the authoritarian government of the country – Forna spent much time going through her life’s experiences. Her latest novel – Ancestor’s Stones, – is a memoir of her turbulent life – she says. An author, who lives through the characters of her novel, Forna struck the audience as an eternal optimist.

SHAKESPEARE  WALLAHS

‘A document is interesting because it becomes a relic for that moment,’ starts off Charles Nicholl, with his erudite research in Shakespeare as described in sporadic contemporary documents.
Nicholl and Michael Wood, a documentary film maker, were onned with photocopies of Shakespeare’s nearly obsolete official papers involving Shakespeare.

‘A person comes out of the bottle… out of the documents we see Shakespeare, we never knew,’ this becomes the anecdote towards the idea of Shakespeare, that these two scholars tried to proliferate. When asked whether their research hold any ‘value,’ they boldly advised to chuck out the biographical part. It is only through the perfect fusion of the fiction and the actual, one gets to ‘know’ an author, walking this earth a few centuries ago.

DEFINING DIASPORA:  Hari Kunzru, Tahmima Anam, Tash Aw, and Nadeem Aslam

This highly engaging and lively session was held to a completely packed house, with the audience spilling out to the garden beside the venue. It opened with Kunzru asking each of the speakers to explain their background and to hold a competition as to which is the most displaced! Tash is an ethnically Chinese Malaysian who has lived half his life in London. Nadeem Aslam is of Punjabi Pakistani of origin, his family emigrated to the North of England when he was 15 years old to escape political problems. Tahamima Anam Claimed to be the least displaced as though she has lived all over the world, her father would always say, ‘we live in Bangladesh. Hari Kunzru’s Kashmiri father, English Protestant mother, grew up in the outskirts of London and only recently moved to New York.’ The question of language inevitably arose and they were asked why each of these authors decided to write in English.