Jaipur Bytes

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. In a magical session that brings the music of words to life, the acclaimed vocalist Shubha Mudgal reads from and speaks her debut collection of short stories, Looking for Miss Sargam. Her book, set in the world of classical Indian music, is wry, tongue in cheek and full of deep insights and perspectives. In conversation with editor Sudha Sadanand, Mudgal tells us of the elusive Miss Sargam, of the traditions, realities and contradictions that a musician straddles and the realities that her narratives invoke.

At the age of 17, after a childhood in a foster family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his Birth Certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian, and he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth. This is Lemn's story, a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. Sissay reflects on a childhood in care and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the world's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity. Introduced by Nandini Nair.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. For our 19th century forebears, science meant progress and hope. Today, we are not so sure. With Google and Facebook harvesting our data and listening to our every conversation in the service of surveillance capitalism, with development bringing environmental catastrophe in its wake and with robots replacing more and more human jobs, we now fear science the industries associated with it as much as we look to it as a solution to our problems. Here, scientist and mathematician Marcus de Sautoy, dystopian novelist John Lanchester and Jaspreet Bindra, author of the Tech Whisperer, discuss the Cyber Future, in conversation with Indo-American journalist and author Akash Kapur.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. Kaveree Bamzai’s edited anthology No Regrets: The Guilt-Free Woman’s Guide to a Good Life is a spunky handbook featuring insights by prominent women on how to rise above conventional norms and expectations and break free. Editor and journalist Bamzai discusses the inspirations behind the book and the deeper message it conveys. Novelist and celebrity columnist Shobhaa De takes a cue from her essay in the book to share her thoughts on society, politics, motherhood and feminine strengths, reminding women that managing time is equivalent to managing stress. Vani Tripathi Tikoo, actor, activist and a young mother, joins them to discuss the balancing act demanded of women and the secrets to negotiating a guilt-free life.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. What is leadership? An invigorating session with R. Gopalakrishnan, Director of Tata Sons, that follows the path of the leader across the changes of perspective from the transactional to the corporate and the larger societal view. Moving away from the cut and thrust of operational action, Gopalakrishnan reflects on a leader’s journey emphasising the role that business leaders can play in matters concerning nation and society. He speaks with Mohit Satyanand, Chairperson of Teamwork Arts and an active angel investor, about the essential engagement with community and society for the business world.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. What makes Indian democracy tick? A riveting session that explores the narratives and counter narratives of the electoral process and democratic systems. Sachin Pilot is a dynamic young politician currently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and as the President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee. A member of the Indian National Congress, he was elected from the Tonk assembly seat with a record margin of 55,000 votes in 2018. Acclaimed journalist Rajdeep Sardesai is the author of several books including Newsman: Tracking India in the Modi Era  and 2014: The Election that Changed India. His recent 2019: How Modi Won India traces the story of BJP’s recent march to electoral victory. In conversation with journalist Namita Bhandare, they discuss various aspects of democracy, the political process, its triumphs and discontents.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. The state of the media today warrants an unprecedented degree of skepticism and mistrust,.  Fiction often carries more veracity than so-called facts. Media consumers remain  unsure about the validity of sources and authenticity and provenance of information. In this timely session,  Editor-in-Chief of Outlook India Ruben Banerjee, Editorial Director, NDTV and author of Defining India Sonia Singh, and journalist and author of Shadow City: A Woman Walks in Kabul Taran Khan, in conversation with journalist Faye D’ Souza, examine and interrogate the increasing overlap of fact and fiction in the news and discuss  how to retrieve information from spaces in between.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. Couturier, costume stylist, entrepreneur and former model Manish Malhotra’s prolific career spanning over 29 years has seen him redefine and reinvent Indian fashion. His quest to combine the best of Indian artistic traditions with a modern expression has rendered an entirely new aesthetic, establishing him as one of the most beloved designers in Bollywood industry. A session to celebrate him as he stands at the turn of his glorious 30 years in costume designing and 15 years for his eponymous label, Manish Malhotra. In conversation with leading intellectual property attorney Safir Anand.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020. This session looks deep into the hearts of two of the greatest Urdu poets of the last century,  Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Firaq Gorakhpuri urf Raghupati Sahay. Saif Mahmood, Chinmayi Tripathi, Joel Mukherjee, and Nishtha Gautam in a session of poetic critique, performance, and appreciation.

A live session from #JaipurLitFest2020.  A surprise crossover novella set in a small town in Rajasthan takes us across languages and genres to an essential human story about two sisters and their quarrels. Based on Charan Singh Pathik's short story ‘Do Behnein’, Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation Patakha is a comedy-drama that forays into both film and text. An engrossing conversation with Vani Tripathi Tikoo, where Bhardwaj and Pathik speak of their collaboration as well as the craft of narrative across genres.