JLF 2021 to be Held Virtually From Feb 19 to 21 and Feb 26 to 28, Over Two Extended Weekends

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | December 22, 2020 | News

Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) Teamwork Arts Sanjoy Roy

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted paradigms of engagement to the virtual world, and the popular Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) too will be an online programme spread over two extended weekends in February, 2021. Teamwork Arts, the festival producer, announced the dates for the 14th edition of JLF, scheduled from February 19 to 21 and February 26 to 28, 2021.

Session presented by Paras Buildtech, Amitabh Kant, Navroz K. Dubash and Samir Saran, in conversation with Pragya Tiwari at JLF 2020

With over 100 speakers expected to attend the 2021 edition, the first list includes Albie Sachs, Bibek Debroy, Carlo Rovelli, Daniel Simpson, John Zubrzycki, Marina Wheeler, Michael Sandel, Moin Mir, Moni Mohsin, Navtej Sarna, Oliver Craske, Prasoon Joshi, Priya Atwal, Ramachandra Guha, Ranjit Hoskote, Sarbpreet Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Shylashri Shankar, Simon Winchester and Stephen Brusatte.

The online edition of the festival will aim to recreate the original literary extravaganza with augmented reality and virtual venues, replete with a bookstore, a bazaar featuring traditional hand-crafted goodies, and various engagement zones.

Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts and Producer, Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “The devastation that the pandemic caused caught the world unawares. Even as gated communities, cities and countries shut down their borders, we wanted to ensure the free flow of knowledge and information across countries and communities. JLF Brave New World was born out of this intention and grossed over 160 episodes and 4.8 million viewers. As we look ahead to 2021, we look forward to hosting the Jaipur Literature Festival, bringing to our viewers the best thinkers from across the world and presenting varied points of views and themes.”

Namita Gokhale, Writer, Publisher, and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, said, “The Jaipur Literature Festival 2021 will appear in an exciting virtual avatar, with great writers and stellar speakers from around the planet reaching out to readers and JLF enthusiasts everywhere. These disruptive times have enabled us to curate a uniquely diverse literary platform, and to create what could be termed a living library. The magical spirit of the festival, with its joy, curiosity, and sense of wonder, will be live this coming February for all those who cherish books, ideas and dialogue.”

“Despite pandemics and political upheavals around the world, the Jaipur Literature Festival continues to spread its wings and has transformed itself into one of the world’s most popular online spaces for profound discussions about books and writing. While this year's Jaipur will be a quieter affair than usual, our commitment to literary excellence continues undimmed as we present one of our most extraordinary lists to date,” added William Dalrymple, Writer, Historian and Co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

In addition to enjoying the literary sessions, audiences will also get to savour the festival’s signature morning and evening music sessions with performances by leading artistes and virtuosos. The customary festival merchandise and books by participating authors will be available online on the Jaipur Literature Festival’s official website.