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THE literary festival at Neemrana, an annual event for the past three years, is much-awaited because of the interface it provides between readers and writers. This year, the event was being looked at against the background of verbal clashes between Sir V S Naipaul and Nayantara Sahgal that took place a couple of years ago. Although the writers refrained from giving quotes against their fellow friends this time, the fissures between them were apparent. Some high-profile authors remained aloof, showing little curiosity to meet and know the others. This was especially true about the expatriate writers, who seemed to be cherishing every moment of togetherness with their fellow New York writers. Another contentious issue that raised its head at the Jaipur literary festival was the under- representation of regional writers as against the galaxy of English writers who graced the occasion. Namita Gokhale, who worked closely with the organisers said, "We tried to make the literary festival a good mix of English and regional writers. There was a strong local element, with the main hall packed to full capacity during the Urdu poetry rendition by Sheen Kaaf Nizam."
Controversies apart, the fest ival saw some of the most stimulating discussions, with authors answering queries of both readers and journalists. Some memorable moments included the affable, modest Kiran Desai breaking into peals of laughter now and then and the mercurial Salman Rushdie quizzing the journalists for floating rumours about him. Are such literary festivals mere get-togethers; or do they promote literature in some way? "Festival such as this", says writer Amit Chaudhri, "serve to kindle people’s interest in books and their authors. Though I am not aware how much serious discussion takes place, but I would concede that such events are very favourable for the expansion of literature." Shashi Deshpande the novelist begs to differ: "Literature gets an impetus by more books being published and more books being read and not merely by coming together of writers. The only favorable impact literary festivals create is that they arouse people’s interest in books for the time being." he says. "Literary festivals promote writers and their works like nothing else does. They also serve to bridge the space between the readers and the writers", says William Dalrymple, another prominent writer who worked tirelessly with the organisers to make the Neemrana festival a memorable event. Besides book readings and discussions, there was a brisk sale of books, especially those of the writers present. Enthusiastic readers could be seen buying the books and making a beeline for their preferred authors to seek their autographs. The festival finally ended with top-notch publishers and literary agent David Godwin predicting the growth of readership in the country.
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