Jaipur Bytes

Ramie Targoff, author of "Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna", in conversation with Lakshya Datta, recorded live at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 on Jan 26. Ramie Targoff’s scholarly area of interest is the English Renaissance with a strong secondary interest in the Italian Renaissance. An award-winning writer, she is the author of three books on Renaissance English literature titled Common Prayer: The Language of Public Devotion, John Donne, Body and Soul and Posthumous Love: Eros and the Afterlife in Renaissance England. Most recently, she has written a biography of the 16th century Italian poet Vittoria Colonna titled Renaissance Woman: The Life of Vittoria Colonna and has completed the first English translation of Colonna’s 1538 book of sonnets, entitled Sonnets of Widowhood. Her forthcoming book, Shakespeare’s Sisters, is a group biography of four women writers in Renaissance England: Mary Sidney Herbert, Aemilia Lanyer, Elizabeth Cary and Anne Clifford.

David Wallace-Wells, Marcus Moench and Navroz K. Dubash in conversation with Prem Jha.  Climate change is no longer impending. We are currently in the throes of a grave environmental, and existential, crisis and frighteningly aware of it. David Wallace-Wells’ latest book, expanded from his viral article in The New York Times, alerts us in unsparing detail to the extent of damage and despair awaiting us, and presses us to imagine more effective ways to negotiate the future. An urgent session that brings together a panel of environmental researchers and activists, and analyses measures to mitigate the greatest challenge humanity faces today.

Swapan Dasgupta’s recent book Awakening Bharat Mata: The Political Beliefs of the Indian Right draws on a variety of sources to trace the evolution of right-wing thought in India. Citing a spectrum of thinkers and writers, it identifies the significant threads that constitute an ideology that has increasingly gained traction and dominated vote banks across the nation. A spirited conversation that discusses and debates the history and influences that forged the vortex of Hindu nationalism with Dasgupta alongside writers and journalists Makarand R. Paranjape, Saba Naqvi in conversation with Pragya Tiwari.

Jonathan Phillips, author of "The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin", in conversation with Jaipur Bytes host Lakshya Datta, recorded live at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 on Jan 25. Jonathan Phillips is Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, University of London. He is the author of numerous books including The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople, Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades and his latest, The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin (buy it on Amazon). His works are widely translated. Phillips has also presented many radio and television programmes including The Cross and the Crescent and The Road From Christ to Constantine. 

How did the Constitution of India, the world’s longest one till date and 70 years old in 2020, come into being? In his forthcoming book, Madhav Khosla, Ambedkar Visiting Associate Professor at Columbia Law School, explores the means India's founders used to foster a democratic ethos. The ideas behind this edifying and meticulous document, which lays the foundations of India as a democratic republic, are a natural reference point for nations, and remind us of the incredible promise that self-rule continues to embody and its challenges therein. In this session, Khosla along with India’s former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, astute politician and a former state governor Margaret Alva and advocate Saif Mahmood, aim to deconstruct this onerous text, which continues to define the workings of modern India.

Rakesh K. Kaul, author of "Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir", in conversation with Jaipur Bytes host Lakshya Datta, recorded live at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 on Jan 25.  Rakesh is an IIT gold medallist, migrated to the US in 1972. He was a founding contributor to the first Chair of India Studies at University of California, Berkeley, the Center for the Advanced Study of India at University of Pennsylvania and the Mattoo Center for India Studies at the State University of New York. He is the author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir. Kaul has had a distinguished business career as CEO and held leadership positions of publicly traded companies in the US. He serves as the Vice Chair of the Indo-American Arts Council.

Geeta Gopalakrishnan is the Founder and Managing Trustee of Ma Foundation. She has channeled years of advertising experience into fundraising for Sadhana School for Special Children and underprivileged children with cancer. All proceeds of her book My Grandmother’s Tweets go towards MA Foundation, which supports desperate mothers with children afflicted by cancer at Tata Medical Centre in Kolkata. In this book, author Geeta Gopalakrishnan presents 109 sayings by the seventh-century saint Avvaiyar that have inspired women for centuries, and continue to inspire the new generation. Using multiple examples from Indian and Western mythology, as well as real life, she illustrates the veracity of these age-old aphorisms. Reminiscent of The Alchemist in the simplicity of the narration, this book will inspire readers while providing helpful life lessons that cut through eras and religions.

Harish Bhat, author of "An Extreme Love of Coffee", in conversation with Jaipur Bytes host Lakshya Datta, recorded live at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 on Jan 25.  Harish Bhat is an author, columnist and marketer. He works with the Tata Group. His first book, the bestselling Tata Log continues to enthrall readers with stories from the modern history of Tata. His second book, The Curious Marketer, addresses the intriguing topic of curiosity. His latest work is his debut novel, An Extreme Love of Coffee. Bhat is the Brand Custodian at Tata Sons and serves as a director of several Tata companies.

A session that searches how to reconcile economic growth with systemic problems of social inequality and environmental unsustainability. Even as millions of young Indians enter the workforce and entrepreneurs strike out in new parts, policymakers face the challenges and responsibilities to create a web of trust that can sustain institutions and processes. A distinguished panel from government, industry and academics seeks answers and solutions on how to build an environment that nurtures a transformative vision of growth. Tarun Khanna is the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at the Harvard Business School and author of Trust: Creating the Foundation for Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries. Arun Maira has penned several books on leadership, organisational transformation and the role of capitalism in today’s socioeconomic terrain. Economist David McWilliams is the author of Renaissance Nation. Hindol Sengupta has written nine books, including The Man Who Saved India and Recasting India.

A woman’s work is never done. Indian women’s participation in the workforce is decreasing steadily, even as figures rise in the rest of the world. A deep discussion on women and work, with anecdotal insights and perspectives, to analyse current realities and ponder how to understand, respect and revive the role of women in the economic sphere. A panel of women from diverse backgrounds, including an iconic chef, an ex-marine, a social entrepreneur and a rural activist speak to journalist Namita Bhandare of the causes and consequences of the roadblocks that come in the way of women’s working lives.