In India, the end of January means an annual pilgrimage to Jaipur, where the world’s largest free literary festival takes place. Jaipur is to books what Davos is to business — the city brims with fulsome idea exchange in the day followed by schmoozing at night. I did a quick wardrobe turn around, landing from freezing Switzerland, shedding furs for shawls, and made my way to the Pink City, which lives up to all the hype. Royal Rajasthan is truly a splendid thing, ticking every prerequisite on the tourist map. Exquisite palaces turned into hotels. Forts. Colour. Elephants and camels. Textiles. Gems and jewellery. The Karni Sena outrage did little to dampen the spirit, although their roadblock did prevent some people from coming in from Delhi.
Described as the greatest literary show on Earth, Jaipur Literature Festival is a mind-boggling spectacle that attracts more than 3,50,000 visitors over five days. And although the talks and panels alone are worth going for, the evening revelry is as significant. From the musical line up and performances to the dinners, everyone loves to party.
This year, publisher Penguin Random House’s swanky splash-out was the talk of the town (full disclosure: PRH is the publisher of a book I am co-authoring). 7,000 candles decorated the Sujan Raj Mahal hotel, a lovingly restored gem that gives the nearby Rambagh a run for its money. Packed to the gills, I hadn’t realised publishing parties were still so ritzy. No, this was not a chai and samosa soiree — more champagne and burrata. I said as much to Ms Successful Author, as she too marvelled at the gathering.
And this was no jhola- carrying crowd. Everyone was very well dressed. I adored the brocade pants on Penguin’s Meru Gokhale. Fashionista Priya Kapur did not disappoint either. Teenage Prince about town Pacho is always a feast for the eyes. Yes, it was a party fit for kings, drawing superstar authors, journalists and socialites. Alas, I had to drag myself away to the Rambagh for dinner with some out-of-town friends, where the Harper Collins party was also on in full swing. Not as packed as Penguin’s, I did manage to say hello to all-time favourite writer Amy Tan, who was being shepherded around by writer and curator Siddharth Dhanvant Sanghvi.
Despite its mishandling of the movie Padmavat , one thing the Rajasthan government is getting right is the revitalisation of its cultural institutions. Thanks to my gallerist friend, I did a walk through of the new exhibit at the Jawahar Kala Kendra. Built by Charles Correa, JKK opened in 1993. The current show, entitled ‘When in Space?’ is the first time an architecture show of this type is being shown. Pooja Sood, who heads JKK, commissioned curators Rupali Gupte and Prasad Shetty to explore the idea of space and the curators invited 27 architects, artists, designers, photographers and social scientists to stage interventions.
Over at Nahargarh Fort is the recently-opened Sculpture Park, home to 51 sculptures from Indian and international artists. Curated by Peter Nagy, and made possible thanks to gallerist Aparajita Jain and patron Shreyasi Goenka, it shows that when a government puts its mind to it, it can do wonders. The fort was packed with people (it was a Sunday) and everyone from kids to the elderly were taking in the sculptures.
No visit to Jaipur is complete without a trip to the Gem Palace, recently redecorated in shocking pink by Marie-Anne Oudejans, of Bar Palladio fame. Sitting under the tent of jeweller Siddharth Kasliwal’s rooftop aerie, swapping stories with a New York socialite about her annual Indian jaunt, it was a befitting way to bid the city adieu — till next time!
This fortnightly column tracks the indulgent pursuits of the one-percenters.
