Five days of intellectual orgasm with five panels taking place simultaneously at what has rightly been described as the greatest literary show on earth "greatest literary show on earth" climbed a notch higher in its latest edition. The Jaipur Literature Festival has single-handedly shown the way forward for not just India's but the South Asian region's politicians, bureaucrats and policymakers on how to make a lasting difference and contribute not just to the cause of nation-building but also to the larger cause of proving humankind worthy of our shared evolution from apes to humans.

For starters, the Great Indian Dream has not died, as sceptics would like us to believe. That dream is very much alive in the hopes and aspirations of our youngsters. For one, attending the festival year after year transformed my life to a great extent and this feeling is shared by several of my friends and peers who have benefited from the discourse that takes place at the annual gathering in Jaipur. Now, I am aware of my religious, financial, social and caste privileges that many of my fellow citizens of our great country do not enjoy.

And that’s where this annual carnival has made its deepest impact to emerge as a socio-cultural revolution. When you are at Jaipur Lit Fest, your religion, caste, background, financial stature or influence does not matter. In true democratic spirit, the festival embraces its visitors without any prejudice or discrimination. It spreads a buffet of intellect and wisdom for the hundreds of thousands who throng to this university of universities every year. In addition to promoting Indian literature, the festival also shines a spotlight on the rich cultural heritage of India. The festival features panel discussions on a wide range of topics, including art, architecture, history, and religion, which help to educate and inform both locals and visitors about the country's rich cultural heritage.

The Jaipur Literature Festival has also had a significant influence on Indian politics. The festival has provided a platform for political leaders, activists, and academics to discuss important political issues, such as democracy, human rights, and social justice. This has helped to raise awareness about these issues and promote greater political engagement and participation among the Indian public. The festival has done this by providing a space for the exchange of ideas and perspectives, which has helped to foster greater understanding and tolerance among different groups in Indian society. This has helped to promote greater social cohesion and has helped to reduce social tensions and conflicts.

Respecting diversity of voices

But all of this is not easy and I suspect the festival, its organisers, Teamwork Arts, Co-Directors William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale, along with Producer Sanjoy Roy, are swimming against the tide. In times of conflict, hate and propaganda, they remain hopeful to turn the spotlight on wisdom, love and credible works of history. That is an area where several veterans of our intellectual circuit tried their best to make a cut but have ultimately preferred to take a backseat. And so, they are trolled, critiqued and often blatantly pointed out that they have erred, including by this writer, almost on an annual basis now.

And that brings me to the real beauty of this festival: respecting all voices, opinions and thoughts, regardless of where they come from. It would frankly be naïve of me to state that all that I have protested against to the festival organisers in private or through my writings in the past were factually correct. Like all of us, my own ego has sometimes led me to shoot off angry emails to the organisers but down the line, I think they have respected the fact that everybody has a right to an opinion (which is almost lost in our times) and by doing so, they have offered time and place to youngsters like this writer to contemplate, reflect and emerge stronger to see the larger picture, which is why I say our great country would be much poorer if this literary revolution did not enrich our lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi rose to power with great promise but as I pointed out in my book, The Psychology of a Patriot, that hope turned out to be a betrayal, thanks to the loudmouths of his party colleagues, whose single point agenda is divisiveness and hatred even when they know nothing of the subject at hand. What caricatures did those protesting against a festival venue called the “Mughal Tent” want to draw of the prime minister and his government in power? These irrational loudmouths do more disservice to the cause of our great country than the sum total of what the festival aims to contribute to the cause of our nation-building.

It is imperative and binding upon Prime Minister Modi and his government to promote the arts, culture and heritage of our nation. These are legacies of the Indian civilization which must be reinvigorated over and over again for centuries to come and supporting an initiative such as the "greatest literary show on earth" will do wonders for the cause of India as against opposing a genuine initiative and pushing us back to the dark ages.

Resource crunch being felt

We must understand that organising a festival of this scale requires a lot of resources and investment but sponsorships have gone down the drain across the arts sector in the post-COVID era. Though they don’t ever say it out aloud, I know for a fact that a crunch of resources is gnawing at the existence of this revolutionary initiative.

As a young Indian, it is my dream to see this festival prosper and record the difference it makes year after year. The Indian government, led by Prime Minister Modi, will do better by putting some resources in places where it can really make a difference to the larger cause of the nation even if some discussions emerging out of there may be entirely against the dispensation’s liking.

I say this with all confidence against naysayers because my own book was anti-establishment to the core but there was not a single moment or intervention or threat or repercussion that I faced at the hands of the ruling regime. So, while there may be differences in opinions, there is certainly no end to free speech in contemporary India. Yet!

(The author formerly headed the arts/books/culture verticals at IANS news agency. He currently works at the Office of PR & Communications at Ashoka University. Views are personal. He can be reached at contactsaketsuman@gmail.com)