Jaipur Bytes

Opening Address (of ZEE JLF at the British Library 2019 on June 14) by Chief Executive of the British Library Roly Keating, High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom Ruchi Ghanashyam, Namita Gokhale, William Dalrymple, Sanjoy K. Roy, and Shreyasi Goenka. This episode is a live session from #ZEEJLFatBL2019.

Pico Iyer (author of 16 books, TED speaker) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Pico Iyer's books have been translated into 23 languages. Both his 2008 meditation on the XIVth Dalai Lama, The Open Road, and his TED Book, The Art of Stillness, were best sellers across the US. Outside magazine called him "arguably the greatest living travel-writer," and the New Yorker said, "As a guide to far-flung places, he can hardly be surpassed." An essayist for TIME since 1986, Iyer is a constant contributor the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, Granta and more than 200 other newspapers and magazines worldwide, and he has published introductions to 70 other works. He has written two new books about Japan - Autumn Light and A Beginner's Guide to Japan. Pico will be speaking at both #ZEEJLFatBL2019 and #JLFBelfast2019 this June.

Bashabi Fraser - author of “Rabindranath Tagore (Critical Lives)" - in conversation with Lakshya Datta - Founder of Launchora. Bashabi Fraser is a Tagore and post colonial scholar and poet. A Professor of English and Creative Writing and Founder Director of the Scottish Centre of Tagore Studies at Edinburgh Napier University, she is also the Editor-in-Chief of the e-journal Gitanjali and Beyond. She is the author of several publications, including the recent critical biography of Rabindranath Tagore.  An award-winning poet, Fraser has received the 2015 Outstanding Woman of Scotland Award, the 2019 Kavi Salam from Poetry Paradigm, the Word Masala Foundation Award for Excellence in Poetry in 2017, the 2010 Women Empowered: Arts and Culture Award and the AIO Prize for Literary Services in Scotland in 2009.

Miles Taylor (author of “Empress: Queen Victoria and India”) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Miles talks about why and how he got into learning and teaching Modern History, what drew him to writing a book about Queen Victoria, while also sharing surprising facts about her life and influence on India. Miles is a Professor of Modern History at York University, having studied history at Queen Mary University of London, Harvard and Cambridge, and previously having taught at Southampton, King’s College London, and Cambridge. Miles will be speaking at ZEE JLF at the British Library on June 15 at the session “Mallika Victoria: Empress of India”. #ZEEJLFatBL2019

Damian Smyth (Head of Literature and Drama at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Hear Damian talk about the work the Art Council does in Belfast and beyond, how the association with JLF came about, and why Belfast is the perfect city for the festival. Experience the first ever JLF Belfast from June 21 to 23. #JLFBelfast2019

Jamie Andrews (Head of Culture and Learning at the British Library) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Jamie talks about the work the British Library does in the UK and internationally, their current “Writing: Making Your Mark” exhibition, why they got involved with JLF as their festival host in London, and what to expect from the upcoming festival from June 14 to 16. #ZEEJLFatBL2019

Matt Reed (CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation UK) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). AKF has been supporting JLF since 2015. As CEO, Matt’s focus is on expanding AKF’s partnerships in the UK and Europe and building greater public awareness about the work of the broader Aga Khan Development Network.  #ZEEJLFatBL2019

An encounter with the free-spirited Shabana Azmi, magnificent actor and a committed social activist. Azmi belongs to an illustrious literary family and has been a member of the Indian Parliament. In conversation with writer and film director Sangeeta Datta, she speaks of her work in experimental and mainstream cinema, and the interplay of culture, entertainment and politics. This episode is a live session from JLF at British Library last year. #ZEEJLFatBL2019

Namita Gokhale (founder and co-director of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (host of Jaipur Bytes and founder of Launchora). Namita shares her favorite moments from the festival in Jaipur this past January, why she believes all writers - young and old - need to be readers first, how she curates the international JLF festivals and their programming, and what you cab expect to see (and hear) at JLF at the British Library (June 14-16) and JLF at Belfast (June  21-23) this summer. Namita is the author of over a dozen fiction and nonfiction books, including ‘Paro: Dreams Of Passion’ and ‘Things To Leave Behind’ (which recently won the Sushila Devi Literature Award). #ZEEJLFatBL2019 #JLFBelfast2019

William Dalrymple (historian, art historian, and co-director of the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival)  in conversation with Lakshya Datta (host of Jaipur Bytes podcast and founder of Launchora). William talks about how he helped create JLF all those years ago, what he thought of #ZEEJLF2019 (the first one he couldn't attend), how he finds authors and speakers from around the world to bring to the festivals, and how JLF grew out of Jaipur to the travel the globe.