The 17th Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), scheduled from February 1-5, will witness sessions on Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas and other religious subjects.

The literature festival is an initiative of Jaipur Virasat Foundation which was founded by Faith Singh, originally as a segment of the Jaipur Heritage International Festival and developed into a free-standing festival of literature with international fame.

Namita Gokhale, co-founder of JLF, talks to The Statesman about her passion for books. She is the author of 23 works of fiction and non-fiction. Her acclaimed debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, was published in 1984. She is the recipient of various prizes and awards, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Literature) Award 2021 for her novel Things to Leave Behind.

Asked about the criteria for selecting writers for the festival, especially the representation of Rajasthani authors at the festival, Gokhale said, “We try to programme a range of writers from Jaipur and different parts of Rajasthan. We include new voices , women writers, and the oral heritage as well as established writers and Sahitya Akademi awardees. Shri Nand Bharadwaj and Shri CP Deval have also guided us over the years.”

With Ayodhya and the Ram temple on the minds of people, is the festival looking at touching religious subjects this time? She said the festival will have a session on Tulsidas and Ramcharitmanas which should be of interest to the audiences.

Talking about the global recognition of the festival, she said the global editions have led to deepened ties with diasporic authors of Indian origin and creative exchanges with international writers we interact with. Many valuable initiatives have resulted from this, she added.

The prolific writer noted the Jaipur Literature Festival draws international audiences because the programming is creative , rooted, and provides many different perspectives and points of view.

Asked where she would like to see JLF in the next five years, Gokhale said, “The future can never be foretold – but of this I am sure that reading will never go out of fashion. We will go from strength to strength as we continue to creatively interpret the role of the litfest.”