Jaipur Bytes

Dhrubo Jyoti, Desraj Kali, Manoranjan Byapari and Sheoraj Singh Bechain in conversation with Harish Trivedi. Transformative Dalit literature has an inspirational role to play in the battle for justice and equity. Iconic writers and journalists who struggled with extreme poverty, prejudice and illiteracy and went on to become highly regarded litterateurs speak of the trajectory of their careers, the hardships and humiliation they faced and the victories and redemptions of literature. Sheoraj Singh Bechain teaches Hindi in the University of Delhi and is the author of several books, including the chilling autobiography Mera Bachpan Mere Kandhon Par. Manoranjan Byapari, a Bengali writer and sociology political activist, learnt to read and write while in jail at the age of 24. He has written over a dozen novels, a hundred short stories and numerous essays. His autobiographical novel, Interrogating My Chandal life, has won several awards. Dhrubo Jyoti is a Dalit and genderqueer person who works on issues of caste, gender and sexuality. Desraj Kali is a Punjabi novelist whose work focuses on the Ghadar movement, the literature and culture of Punjab and Dalit issues. In conversation with writer, editor and critic Harish Trivedi, they discuss their writing in the context of the personal and the political, and the many dimensions of Dalit literature. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Information empowers and its role in a democracy is especially critical and definitive. In this important session, social activist Aruna Roy, the power behind the RTI Movement and Harsh Mander, fearless activist, who works with survivors of mass violence and hunger, the homeless and street children, and also the Director of the Centre for Equity Studies, make a passionate plea for the ‘Right to Know’ in order to challenge the convenient obscurantism of those in power. In conversation with Indian feminist and publisher Urvashi Butalia, a session rich in anecdote and readings from The RTI Story: Power to the People, authored by Roy, and for those who ask questions to seek answers. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Audrey Truschke, Parvati Sharma, and Rana Safvi in conversation with Ira Mukhoty. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Daniel E. Lieberman and David Reich in conversation with Tony Joseph. A session that brings together two of the most highly regarded geneticists and paleoanthropologists of our age. Everyone knows about DNA. It is the essence of our being, influencing who we are and what we pass on to our children. But its information can’t be used without a machine to decode it. The ribosome is that machine. David Reich tells the story of Who We Are and How We Got Here while Daniel E. Lieberman speaks of The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Together, they discuss the emerging picture that is one of many waves of ancient human migrations where all populations living today are a mix of ancient ones and often carry a genetic component from archaic humans. Chaired by writer and journalist Tony Joseph. This episode is a live session from day 1 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Anjum Hasan, Andrew Sean Greer, Jayant Kaikini and Mahesh Rao, moderated by Paul McVeigh. This episode is a live session from day 5 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Boria Majumdar, Rajdeep Sardesai and Shashi Tharoor in conversation with Prayaag Akbar. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Alka Pande, Bulbul Sharma, Devdutt Pattnaik, Pavan K. Varma and Yudit Greenberg in conversation with Malashri Lal, introduced by Namita Gokhale. This episode is a live session from day 1 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Ruby Wax (actress, comedian, mental health campaigner, lecturer, and author of 'How to be Human) in conversation with journalist and poet Jerry Pinto. This episode is a live session from day 1 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Shashi Tharoor, author and Member of Parliament, and Pavan Varma, National General Secretary and National Spokesman of the Janata Dal, in conversation with journalist and anchor at NDTV, Sreenivasan Jain. This episode is a live session from day 2 of #ZEEJLF2019.

Robin Jeffrey and Assa Doran, discuss their book 'Cellphone Nation: How Mobile Phones Have Revolutionized Business, Politics and Ordinary Life in India', with Ravi Agrawal, author of 'India Connected: How the Smartphone is Transforming the World's Largest Democracy', in a conversation moderated by awarding-winning journalist Barkha Dutt. This episode is a live session from day 3 of #ZEEJLF2019.