Jaipur Bytes

Anita Anand and Kim A. Wagner in conversation with Navtej Sarna. Anita Anand’s The Patient Assassin tells the remarkable story of one Indian's 20 year quest for revenge, taking him around the world in search of those he held responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919, which cost the lives of hundreds. Kim A. Wagner’s Jallianwala Bagh: An Empire of Fear and the Making of the Amritsar Massacre is a dramatic telling of the event and its aftermath situating the massacre within the 'deep' context of British colonial mentality and the local dynamics of Indian nationalism. In conversation with writer and former diplomat Navtej Sarna, they discuss this seminal moment in the history of the Indo-British encounter and its consequences for the Indian freedom struggle. This episode is a live session from #ZEEJLFatBL2019.

Anjali Joseph, Lijia Zhang and Romesh Gunesekera in conversation with Catharine Morris. Three writers speak about ways of seeing and recording, and how they navigate words across countries and cultures. Romesh Gunesekera is the acclaimed Sri Lankan-born British author and finalist for the Man Booker Prize. Award-winning Anjali Joseph has written three novels, including her recent The Living. China-born writer and journalist Lijia Zhang has written memorable books that include China Remembers, Socialism Is Great! and Lotus. In conversation with editor and writer Catharine Morris. This episode is a live session from #ZEEJLFatBL2019.

Jonathan Gil Harris, Rachel Dwyer and Varsha Panjwani in conversation with Cary Sawhney. Shakespeare’s Indian avatar has taken deep root in Bollywood and popular culture. Poet and lyricist Gulzar along with directors Sanjay Leela Bansali and Vishal Bharadwaj have all taken inspiration from the Bard. A lively panel explores the profound resonance between Shakespeare’s craft and Indian cinema and cultural forms. Jonathan Gil Harris, professor of English at Ashoka University, Rachel Dwyer, professor of Indian Culture and Cinema at SOAS, and academic Varsha Panjwani, lecturer in Shakespeare at NYU London, in conversation with filmmaker and director of the London Indian Film Festival, Cary Sawhney. This episode is a live session from #ZEEJLFatBL2019.

Opening Address (of ZEE JLF at the British Library 2019 on June 14) by Chief Executive of the British Library Roly Keating, High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom Ruchi Ghanashyam, Namita Gokhale, William Dalrymple, Sanjoy K. Roy, and Shreyasi Goenka. This episode is a live session from #ZEEJLFatBL2019.

Pico Iyer (author of 16 books, TED speaker) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Pico Iyer's books have been translated into 23 languages. Both his 2008 meditation on the XIVth Dalai Lama, The Open Road, and his TED Book, The Art of Stillness, were best sellers across the US. Outside magazine called him "arguably the greatest living travel-writer," and the New Yorker said, "As a guide to far-flung places, he can hardly be surpassed." An essayist for TIME since 1986, Iyer is a constant contributor the New York Times, The New York Review of Books, Harper's, Granta and more than 200 other newspapers and magazines worldwide, and he has published introductions to 70 other works. He has written two new books about Japan - Autumn Light and A Beginner's Guide to Japan. Pico will be speaking at both #ZEEJLFatBL2019 and #JLFBelfast2019 this June.

Bashabi Fraser - author of “Rabindranath Tagore (Critical Lives)" - in conversation with Lakshya Datta - Founder of Launchora. Bashabi Fraser is a Tagore and post colonial scholar and poet. A Professor of English and Creative Writing and Founder Director of the Scottish Centre of Tagore Studies at Edinburgh Napier University, she is also the Editor-in-Chief of the e-journal Gitanjali and Beyond. She is the author of several publications, including the recent critical biography of Rabindranath Tagore.  An award-winning poet, Fraser has received the 2015 Outstanding Woman of Scotland Award, the 2019 Kavi Salam from Poetry Paradigm, the Word Masala Foundation Award for Excellence in Poetry in 2017, the 2010 Women Empowered: Arts and Culture Award and the AIO Prize for Literary Services in Scotland in 2009.

Miles Taylor (author of “Empress: Queen Victoria and India”) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Miles talks about why and how he got into learning and teaching Modern History, what drew him to writing a book about Queen Victoria, while also sharing surprising facts about her life and influence on India. Miles is a Professor of Modern History at York University, having studied history at Queen Mary University of London, Harvard and Cambridge, and previously having taught at Southampton, King’s College London, and Cambridge. Miles will be speaking at ZEE JLF at the British Library on June 15 at the session “Mallika Victoria: Empress of India”. #ZEEJLFatBL2019

Damian Smyth (Head of Literature and Drama at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Hear Damian talk about the work the Art Council does in Belfast and beyond, how the association with JLF came about, and why Belfast is the perfect city for the festival. Experience the first ever JLF Belfast from June 21 to 23. #JLFBelfast2019

Jamie Andrews (Head of Culture and Learning at the British Library) in conversation with Lakshya Datta (Founder of Launchora). Jamie talks about the work the British Library does in the UK and internationally, their current “Writing: Making Your Mark” exhibition, why they got involved with JLF as their festival host in London, and what to expect from the upcoming festival from June 14 to 16. #ZEEJLFatBL2019