The 11th edition of Jaipur Literature Festival is set to kick off today.
It will feature more than 200 sessions on a multitude of trends and topics ranging from poetry, fiction, non-fiction, science, history, environment, journalism, liberal arts, travel, cinema, and economics.
Similar to its previous editions, the festival will start off with a keynote address and conclude with a debate where the audience will vote to voice their opinions in favour of or against given notions.
The literature festival is set to be inaugurated by Vasundhara Raje, Rajasthan Chief Minister. It began with a performace by Meeta Pandit, a Hindustani Classical vocalist. It will be followed by a keynote address by Pico Iyer titled "A world without borders".
An Academy Award winner, Tom Stoppard will talk about his life and creativity in a session called "The Real Thing". In another session titled "The Great Survivor", Afghan's ex-President Hamid Karzai along with William Dalrymple will discuss his leadership and legacy during the country's recent turbulent times. Novelist Helen Fielding will be conversing with Meru Gokhale on fiction and comic.
The program will also celebrate the diversity of languages, their multi-faceted trajectories, and enigmatic roots. An announcement will be made at the festival about including first ever Hindi word in Oxford Dictionary. The position of Hindi will be celebrated as a common language steeped in literary traditions.
20 books will also be launched by acclaimed writers such as Shashi Tharoor, Ashok Chopra, and Ashwani Sangi, among the few.
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The concluding debate will be held on the top ""#MeToo: Do Men Still Have It too Easy?". A noted panel will oversee the debate following a voting session.
Produced by Teamwork Arts, Zee Jaipur Literature Festival is held at Diggi Palace in Jaipur. Acclaimed writers, Namita Gokhale and William Dalrymple are its co-directors. It is touted to be one of the most anticipated literary even globally.
Meanwhile, the authorities are taking additional precautions to prevent any untoward incident by Rajput Karni Sena who is on a rampage against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat' release across the nation. Sena president, Mahipal Singh Makrana, has forewarned about pretests against Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chief, Prasson Joshi at the festival.