With the COVID-19 pandemic shifting the paradigms of engagement to the virtual world, the 14th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) will encompass an online programme spread over two extended weekends. The fest will showcase specially curated virtual experiences that will come with a look and feel of the Pink City, stated Sanjoy Roy, the Managing Director of Teamworks and the man behind organising the show.
Opening of every episode shot from Diggi Palace
Diggi Palace
Roy remarked that the crew is shooting the opening of every episode from Diggi Palace. “The viewers shall pass on from the Front Lawn and Darbar Lawn of Diggi Palace while viewing the show to feel the connection with the Pink City. We are shooting in Amer, at Patrika Gate, a renowned spot of Jaipur and other such venues of the city to convey the message to our viewers that they are not watching a zoom box but we are taking them out of the zoom box”, he added.
Pandemic: A time of losses & gains
In accordance with the latest format, the organisers are making sure that when the audience comes to the festival, they get to enter through the front lawn but in 3D mode, as it has been moulded on similar lines of the physical event. Roy even added that the pandemic has brought in newer equations and the ‘new normal’ has permitted the implementation of many things that were formerly inaccessible.
“We shall have Microsoft founder Bill Gates, international celebrity Priyanka Chopra, and many other spectrums of people this time, who were inaccessible most of the time due to various reasons. So we can say if we have lost due to pandemic, we have gained too”, the MD mentioned.
Virtual event pulling in heightened viewership & promulgating reach
Speaking about next year’s plan, Roy said, “In 2022, we can’t go back and say that JLF 2022 shall be a physical event. It will have to be virtual as well as a physical event. We have built a new audience and this new audience needs to have a look and feel of Jaipur. Therefore, we have decided to shoot the opening of every episode from Diggi Palace and other places of the Pink City.”
Roy also said that he wanted to let the flow of knowledge and information continue beyond boundaries, even during the pandemic in the same way, as there has been a substantial exchange of scientific knowledge happening between countries.
He said, “We took the challenges that came our way in doing so, as an opportunity. We decided on a virtual event and eventually, our viewership has jumped many times as compared to our physical events. Even our reach has increased. Earlier, our international markets were the UK, the US, Canada among others. However, now, our third-highest international viewership is coming from Germany. In Diggi Palace, Germany had never registered with us and we have never spent money on marketing there. Our viewership also stands high in Poland, Sweden, and Norway.”
“When we started, we ensured that our reach should include young people as they can bring in change. Now, we have many international schools worldwide registering with us which makes it easier for us to reach our goals,” he added.
JLF’21 has roped in over 100 speakers; themes include AI, Politics, History & so on
Annually, Jaipur Literature Fest is attended by an array of prominent authors, journalists, and cultural commentators and it is that one event which transcends the boundaries of what a conventional literature festival is. Now, the upcoming season of this renowned fest has roped in over 100 speakers who will be in attendance and the first list includes prominent names like Albie Sachs, Bibek Debroy, Carlo Rovelli, Daniel Simpson, John Zubrzycki, and Marina Wheeler, among others.
A few of the themes that will be explored this year at JLF, include Technology & AI, Politics & History, Environment & Climate Change, Mental Health, Business & Economics, Translations, Poetry & Music, Food & Literature, Geopolitics, Science & Medicine, Democracy & Constitution and so on. In addition to enjoying the literary sessions, audiences will also get to witness the Festival’s signature morning and evening music sessions with performances by leading artistes and entertainers.
