In the semi-gelid January days in Jaipur came another edition of the world’s largest conglomeration of literary enthusiasts, the Jaipur Literature Festival. Once you enter the Diggi Palace gardens it’s all about getting soaked into the revering world of miscellanea. The entrance to the venue gives a feel of Rajasthan, the walloping curved gates with a tiny peak at the top welcomes people from all around the globe. The manifestations are such that if you place turbaned men blowing trumpets along the entrance corridor you would feel yourself an invitee to the king’s feast.

The inside of the place is adorned with a mixture of handicrafts and vibrant straps of cloth. This time the principle idea of ornamentation was hanging swaths of opposing facing birds. The whole passageway was covered with a galore of these birds symbolizing the diverseness of this magnificent fiesta.

This was my fourth JLF and I have been a spectator of its monumental growth. Back in 2012, sessions commenced with half-filled chairs, writers and speakers would be found roaming around and talking to people when not speaking (rarely getting any recognition) and it was an event more about intellectual leisure. One interesting fact that I came around this time was that in its inaugural year, 2005, there were only 15 attendees and those were also some Japanese tourists who accidently entered the place. Now, in 2015 when I come here people enter in tides with most of the sessions jam-packed. Most of the time I was forced to peek my neck above the people standing in front of me to make some sense out of what the speakers were speaking. I don’t know this year’s stats. In 2014 the final number was 2.2 lakhs and I assume the number was easily swept over this time. The scenario was that if you plan to attend a specific session, you would have to bear at least one or two sessions before it to get a comfortable view.

In one of the sessions, I was standing next to a British national and sparked off a conversation with him about the event. I asked him his views on JLF and whether he attends such literary events back in England too. He responded by saying that the ones in England are better organized in terms of seating arrangements and other facilities (he was furious on not getting a seat in even one session!) but he liked to come here because here people speak with much more freedom and spontaneity whereas in England most of the talks are formerly curated. This answer really flushed me with pride and a sense of gratitude towards the organizers for what they were bringing to me.

Every year JLF incurs many reputed and highly esteemed writers, poets, journalists, social activists, translators, educationalists and people from the movie making industry to usher an ultra-thoughtful sight into various issues and ideas. You can look up to this year’s speakers list on this link. No one who enters goes out without witnessing something not bounding to her/his interests. From political analysis to self-illuminating poetry, from inspirational life stories to discussing global concerns, from mythology to erotic literature, from cricket to the importance of Sanskrit, JLF is adhered to cover each and every aspect of life. Even if you are not interested in these tell-tales but rejoice artistic endeavors like photography, sketching or Sufi music, JLF is a time full of these majestic opportunities.

Finally, in the tussle-bustle of everything these sessions come to an end. Music is played in some parts of the garden. Movements are much more relaxed. Waiting outside for everyone is again the bedlam of autos honking, traffic policemen whistling, buses refusing to stop and allow a chance of boarding. I dig in a bit of time and extend my stay for a few more minutes, allowing all the tributes to soak in. What I carry with me from here is an exhilarating reception of culture and melodic gratification.