Jaipur Bytes

Pepita Seth in conversation with Anupama Raju. This episode is part of the Voices of Faith series for JLF Brave New World, presented by the Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust.

Syed Salman Chishty in conversation with Rana Safvi. This episode is part of the Voices of Faith series for JLF Brave New World, presented by the Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust.

Bill Gates in conversation with Alok Sharma. “It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a problem as big as climate change. But you’re not powerless. And you don’t have to be a politician or a philanthropist to make a difference.” – Bill Gates In conversation with Alok Sharma, President of the COP26 Climate Conference and former Secretary of State for Business, Bill Gates will set out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet’s slide toward certain environmental disasters. He will explain not only why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal.

Unfinished is one of the most exciting and inspirational books of the year, following Priyanka Chopra Jonas' journey through life and cinema. The memoir takes readers from her childhood in India, through her formative teenage years in the US, to her return to India where she unexpectedly won the national and global beauty pageants (Miss India and Miss World) that launched her acting career. The result is a book that is warm, funny, sassy, inspiring, bold and rebellious and will inspire a generation around the world to gather their courage, embrace their ambition and commit to the hard work of following their dreams. A National Film Award winner with more than 60 international and Hollywood films to her credit, Chopra Jonas made her American TV acting debut on the ABC-TV hit drama Quantico where she made history as the first Indian-born actor to star as the lead of a TV drama series. She is a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, recipient of the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian award, and is also involved in a number of efforts to protect children's rights and to promote the education of girls around the world, including her namesake charity, The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education. In conversation with  author and columnist Shobhaa De.

Payal Arora, Marcus du Sautoy, Tarun Khanna, Renata Lok-Dessallien, Pragya Sharma and Meredith Broussard moderated by Sanjoy K. Roy. Has technology, with its augmented and extended reality, and the social disengagement of the Pandemic, transformed our perception of the real? Has the virtual world  changed and upended the significance of physical experience? What are the definitions of reality? What defines the new realities?  Writers and thinkers, futurists and traditionalists discuss and debate if the virtual has overtaken the real.

Celebrated actor Anupam Kher's latest book, Your Best Day is Today, is an enduring narrative that encourages us to take a pause and consider and appreciate the smaller things in life. An amalgamation of experiences, lessons and positive takeaways, the book attempts to present a guide to connect with your inner self in order to cope with these difficult times. In this session Kher delves on the importance of adapting to change and the necessity of knowing that you are not alone.

Vikas Swarup’s thrilling second novel Six Suspects is a witty, gripping and masterfully written tale that looks deep within the heart of contemporary India. The internationally bestselling author Slumdog Millionaire deftly explores themse of murder, corruption and oppurtunity, through an imaginative and intensive plot, unravelling the lives and motives of the six suspects involved in the killing of a politician’s son, offering both a riveting page-turner and a sobering look into the social dynamics at play.  The author discusses his influences, writing process, and the upcoming web adaptation of his riveting novel, in conversation with Shubhra Gupta. Vikas Swarup is an Indian diplomat and writer, and current Secretary (West) at the Ministry of External Affairs. He is best known as the author of the novel Q & A, adapted in film as Slumdog Millionaire, the winner of Best Film for the year 2009 at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards.

The digital landscape is perhaps the most exciting space for creative potential today, having transformed long-established modes of consuming, interpreting and interacting with text-based narratives. This is a golden age of entertainment as streaming services constantly evolve, challenging viewer expectations and bringing in new ways in which stories are created, absorbed and shared. In a fascinating session, the panelists exchange ideas on the process of adapting dynamic scripts to the screen, reimagining the text for the visual medium and broadening the possibilities of immersive, authentic storytelling.

Avni Doshi’s Booker shortlisted novel Burnt Sugar, published as Girl in White Cotton in India, is a vivid and unsettling account following the complex relationship between a mother and daughter. Tracing the  fragile line between familial devotion and deception the tale evocatively brings up the subjective nature of truth and the reality of toxic relationships. In conversation with author and poet Janice Pariat, they examine the roots of this compelling and raw narrative and unravel its questions of identity, love and trauma.

The seeds of the storming of the Capital were sown, and shown to the world, early in President Trump’s Presidency with his chest-thumping belief in what commentators have called “dangerous” nationalism. Scholar and critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha, a believer in a more benign and inclusive world view, evaluates how you address these actions rooted within the fabric of chaos, discontent and “uncivil unrest”. A session that analyses the growing instances of neo nationalism around the world also discusses how this narrative is trying to redefine democracy, political power, public ethics and success in troubling terms, fueled by conspiracy theories. Bhabha is the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University. His work explores postcolonial theory, cultural change, and power. His books include Nation and Narration and The Location of Culture. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Bhabha delves on this new era of politics and what it entails for our future.