Writing essentially is a lonely process. Couple this with the fact that the virtually connected world has insidiously made us physically disconnected. Events that facilitate personal interaction of the literary tribe in a “free form cloud” are few and far between. JLF provides the ideal bridge for many wannabe writers to facilitate many of their interests.

Attendance of HWR writing community members at JLF of late has been happening as a group activity enabled by social media connectivity. From a modest beginning in 2023, when 4 members connected at Jaipur, proudly posing for pix with our own Subi Taba, the winner of Penguin’s The Perfect Pitch. The next two years saw approximately 15 HWR members finding each other in the milling crowds and interacting between sessions. In 2026, 25 HWR wiring community members attended, and these numbers are only set to grow.

One HWR member summarised his maiden JLF experience as a “Disneyland for Literature”. He drew parallels of milling crowds at both Orlando and JLF; the many theme parks to multiple Venues; numerous rides to the many concurrent sessions; and the general feeling of not having been able to see everything despite spending long hours at the sprawling location.

HWR writing community members also noticed and appreciated the unsung heroes of JLF. The bright and bubbly Volunteers, sporting their smart jackets, smilingly handled vital aspects both for overall coordination, such as Festival Entry and conduct of sessions at each venue. Although the Volunteers worked day and night tirelessly, their infectious enthusiasm was so visible all through; culminating in their energetic dance to the beats of traditional Rajasthani nagadas towards the end of the Closing Ceremony debates.

The Morning Music sessions are such a wonderful way to start the day at Front Lawns. This initial hour gradually empties your mind space of all other thoughts and helps you zone out of your “other life”. The Ao Naga choir and Taal Fry gave us an endearing experience of the North East and Kashmir in JLF 2026.

So, what is it that pulls mammoth humongous crowds each year to JLF for the past 19 years? Probably its this eclectic mix of literature, spectacle, tradition, food, spirits, music, with plethora of creative arts fused into the program schedule, the aura of Rajasthan and Jaipur which ensures that every footfall at the venue finds enough reason to stay the entire day – and yet get back the next day, unsatiated and looking forward to more of this heady mix/cocktail.

The enviable list of international literary prize winners each year in itself makes for a good enough reason to be at JLF. Hearing these celebrity authors in person, sharing snippets of back stories that shaped their works, and the lively audience interaction make for vibrant sessions with numerous takeaways. Kiran Desai’s session, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunn,y and Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp were the highlights in this category this year.

Jaipur Book Mark, a parallel event for the book publishing ecosystem, came out as a popular choice for many HWR writing community members who wanted a deeper insight into the “kalam se kitab tak” journey. Sessions such as FutureScape: Spotting Trends in the Publishing Industry on Day 2 and Authors and Agents: The Delicate Balance of Expectations on Day 3 specifically were found to be of great utility to the HWR members. Contracts: Reading the Fine Print on Day 4 also delved into the finer print; quite literally. Redefining Bestsellers: What is Selling in the Indian Market on Day 5 lent a valuable perspective on what sells currently and what definitely does not!

Noticeable improvements this year were the introduction of AI-enabled M-passes, akin to Digiyatra, which dramatically reduced the rush at the Entrance Gates. In addition, the broadsheet format Program Brochure was also updated on the website and was available for download in the same format this year. 

The decision to shift the venue from Diggi Palace to Clarks Amer is a welcome one in view of the large crowds which could not be accommodated in the previous location. The present venue has a more open feel, and the lack of jostling and being lost in a crowd makes for a much more pleasant experience. 

For buffs of colonial history, the British Empire, 1947 Partition, there were multiple sessions that gave deep insights based on recent pioneering research. Such sessions connected the dots so admirably on the world map, clearly bringing out the persons and policies that shaped the colonial world. The sessions of Caroline Elkins, delivered with uncommon passion, were a highlight that drew huge crowds.

JLF draws on the best and most current contextually relevant to the world and brings it to your doorstep. The session of Radoslaw Sikorski and Dr Navtej Sarna, A continent in Crisis: Russia, Ukraine and the European Story, gave us a world view quite differently. Anne Applebaum’s session on Autocracy Inc: The Dictators who want to rule the world was most enlightening. 

The sessions of various voices of a Life Lived brought out personal journeys and the trajectories they took, shaped by struggle and triumph, were also a well-attended category. Vir Das’s The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits, Question 7 of Richard Flanagan and Speaking My Mind of Leo Varadkar were major crowd pullers. The emotive session of Prasoon Joshi was simply brilliant. Not many missed the session of Gaur Gopal Das – You Can Have It All – Unlock the Secrets to a Great Life.

Multiple sessions brought alive the voices of the past to the audience. The session of Harleen Singh on the The Lost Heer: Women in Colonial Punjab in conversation with the simply brilliant Anita Anand, uncovered forgotten stories of resilience, agency and struggle, bringing women of colonial Punjab to the fore of historical narratives. Such sessions resonated with many of the audience with a shared past and similar family histories.

Sam Dalrymple’s recent book, Shattered Lands, was launched in the session that discussed Five Partitions and the making of Modern Asia. Sam uncovered hidden facets of the region’s history with pictures of the past that conveyed the essence so beautifully.

A couple of sessions unpacked the utopian dreams and dystopian realities of AI for the audience. AI and the future of Books, Reading and Narratives was one such session that evoked keen interest amongst the audience. Human Edge: What’s Cooking in AI was another session that saw a full house.

The audience got more than A Bit of Fry in the session of Stephen Fry, who regaled the audience with his characteristic humour.

Ireland was strongly represented, including a  Session on For and Against: A United Ireland, which convincingly put forth both sides of the coin. A JLF Ireland was also announced, scheduled for later this year as a travelling literature festival covering Dublin, Belfast and two border towns on either side.

A session on The Calm Prescription by Luke Coutinho saw him urging us to go back to the basics and enunciate some of the 75 simple principles for a calmer you. 

Amish launched his book, The Chola Tigers: Avengers of Somnath and gave remarkable examples from our history and their relevance to modern-day India. Kailash Satyarthi’s book launch titled Karuna: the Power of Compassion and the conversation with Amish revealed many touching stories of his struggles for social causes and also those related to his Nobel prize.

This is for Everyone by Tim Berners Lee about the World Wide Web, and another session by the founder of Wikipedia engaged audiences with realities of things taken for granted as part of our lives today. 

Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity saw the brilliant Marcus du Sutoy enthral the audience with his characteristic humour and strong mathematical correlations between the arts and sciences. His description of dance as geometry in motion and also relating Pollock’s paintings to fractals, was amazing indeed.

All the ardent lovers of JLF missed the presence of Dr Shashi Tharoor at this JLF which was a glaring departure from the past, possibly 14 years. Dubbed as the Shah Rukh Khan of JLF by Vir Sanghvi, his charisma and eloquence, besides his multi-lingual interaction, always add a unique flavour to JLF.

The high point of JLF Closing Day remained, as always, the closing debate on the motion Freedom of Speech is a Dangerous Idea. The Front Lawns venue was packed to full capacity, and each participant gave convincing arguments both for and against. Fara Dabhoiwala, surprisingly neither for nor against the motion, stood on his middle ground, albeit strongly, with an even stronger voice, refusing to get drowned by the timer nagada beats.

As the sun sets, Jaipur Music Stage comes alive at Charbagh with more than one band each evening for the first three days. All in all the entire day is packed with more than you can do, and unpacking JLF into MyJLF cannot be done in any algorithmic manner. HWR members found it best to leave some scope for uncertainty, decide on some sessions on prior inputs and others on impulse, and one was never disappointed. 

Many an uninitiated, innocent question the repeat offenders of JLF have regarding the need to attend each year. Simply put, JLF is quite like the human body; while the skeleton and the essential structure remain the same, the life and blood of each JLF are the ever-changing speakers of the literary fraternity and other members from various creative arts. This creates a unique blend each year, and each edition of JLF thus has its own life form and identity. This, coupled with the untiring efforts of Teamwork Arts and the indefatigable Festival Directors, does indeed make this the greatest literature festival on earth.

P.S – We asked a HWR writing community member who attended JLF 2026 for some tips that would help you plan your JLF trip better next year:

1. Reach the front lawn by 9 am so that you get to enjoy the morning music and grab good seats for the first 2 sessions at the front lawns which are mostly big names.
2. Always check the main registration counter board for schedule changes.
3. Best to book your stay within walking distance of the venue. Saves time and is easy to get to the venue.
4. Gandhinagar-Jaipur station is much closer to the venue than the main Jaipur railway station.
5. Decide firmly beforehand the sessions you want to attend and stick to your decision.
6. Wear comfortable shoes coz you may not get a seat.
7. Don’t pile on the winter wear coz Jaipur daytime can get pretty warm.
8. Visit the book stall during session time to avoid jostling crowds