Welcome to the Jaipur Phenomenon

About DSC Jaipur Literature Festival – It is considered as Asia’s leading literature event and is a celebration of national and international writers and encompasses a range of activities including film, music and theatre. Entering its fifth year, the festival has already hosted some of the best-known national and international writers. The festival programme for 2010 includes readings, talks, literary lunches, debates, performance, children’s workshops and interactive activities held in the beautiful heritage property, Diggi Palace in central Jaipur, Rajasthan. This Festival is the initiative of the Jaipur Virasat Foundation an NGO that works with Rajasthan's musicians and craftspeople to preserve skills and promote economic livelihoods while protecting heritage.

New Delhi, 09.01.2010: DSC Jaipur Literature Festival described by Tina Brown in The Daily Beast as "the greatest literary show on earth" and now unquestionably Asia’s leading literary festival, will again play host to authors, publishers and book lovers from 21st January – 25th January 2010, at the heritage property, Diggi Palace in Jaipur.

The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival, now in its fifth year, promises an exciting mix of talks, panel discussions, lectures and readings by renowned authors from across the globe along with a festival fringe of theatre, films and after sunset music. Each night the writers and literature-talk gives way to dancing to performers such as Susheela Raman, Titi Robin, Djaima, Rajasthan Roots and Paban Das Baul.

"Once again, the DSC Jaipur Literature Festival brings the world of books to life - Jaipur in January has become the spot to air ideas, to locate and question literary and cultural identity, to hear fresh voices. Now established as the most exciting event in Asia’s literary calendar, the fifth edition of the festival is the biggest of its kind in the literary world, accessible to the general public at no cost. Stimulating readings, panels, lectures and debates showcase both new and established authors.” said Namita Gokhale, Festival Director, DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2010.  

“Besides showcasing the best of Indian-language and English writing from India, this year the festival will be importing a Nobel laureate, a winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, two Booker winners and five winners of the Pulitzer prize for literature, as well as leading writers from the world of history, biography, literary criticism, and travel, in addition to the stars of the world of fiction and the novel” said William Dalrymple, Festival Director, DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2010.  

The writers include Hanif Kureishi, Shobhaa De, Niall Ferguson, Louis De Bernieres, Roberto Calasso, Amit Chaudhuri, Geoff Dyer, Vikram Chandra, Tina Brown, Claire Tomalin, Michael Frayn, Mahasweta Devi, Indira Goswami, Krishna Sobti, Krishna Baldev Vaid, Steve Coll, Stephen Frears, Pavan Varma, Lawrence Wright, Christophe Jaffrelot, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, Alexander McCall Smith, Wole Soyinka, Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright

The mornings bustle with activity as the visitors swarm from one panel discussion to another, while an eclectic mix of performances, music, and dancing make up the relaxed evenings.

“DSC Jaipur Literature Festival is a celebration bringing together the best writers from India and abroad in one of the most exciting and vibrant festivals in the world.” said Sanjoy Roy, Festival Producer, DSC Jaipur Literature Festival 2010.

DSC Jaipur Literature Festival has hosted some of the world’s finest writers in the past like Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Kiran Desai, Nadeem Aslam, Pico Iyer, Thomas Keneally, Ian McEwen, Donna Tart, Nadeem Aslam, Pico Iyer, Nandan Nilekani, Suketu Mehta, Thomas Keneally, Chetan Bhagat, Nayantara Sehgal, Simon Schama, Vikas Swarup, John Berendt, Daniyal Mueenuddin, Hari Kunzru and Christopher Hampton. Guests from the world of film include Aamir Khan, Julia Roberts and Amitabh Bachchan.
As Pico Iyer put it of last year’s festival in the New York Times, “I've been to so many literary festivals, from Shanghai to Bogota, and this one is definitely the least dry, the most carnival-like. Where else would you go from Shakespeare to contemporary politics to V.S. Naipaul and then Sufi music—each in such a full-bodied way? The music definitely had a cleansing, clarifying quality after that clash of ideas, like a sorbet in the middle of a rich meal.”

The cheerful ambience of the festival will be highlighted by great evening performances and an array of food including local Rajasthani, Gourmet French and Italian cuisine created by master chefs from these countries.

The highlights of the evenings include readings from Girish Karnad’s Tughlaq by acclaimed actor Om Puri, performances by Titi Robin, Cheb I Sabbah, and readings and performances from William Dalrymple's Nine Lives, including Susheela Raman, the Bauls of Bengal, the Shah Jo Raag fakirs of Bhit Shah and more.
The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival program has been conceived by festival directors Namita Gokhale & William Dalrymple & produced by Sanjoy Roy and Sheuli Sethi from Teamwork Productions.

Teamwork Productions (a unit of Teamwork Films Pvt. Ltd) is a highly versatile entertainment company, with roots in the performing arts, social action, and the corporate world. They run more than 14 festivals annually around the world in cities such as Cape Town, Durban, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Singapore and Valladolid. Their expertise lies in the area of Entertainment including Television, Film - documentary and features, Event Management, Social Communication, Creation and Development of Contemporary Performing and Visual Arts Festivals across the world and in nurturing new talent across arts forms.

DSC Limited, a pioneer in the BOT space in India, is one of the fastest growing infrastructure developers in India with presence in Roads & Expressways, Urban Infrastructure, Railways and Hydro Power. It has achieved this position of leadership in a short span of 7 years.
DSC Limited (Formerly known as D. S. Construction Ltd.) is a part of DSC Group, a transnational conglomerate present across four continents. It is not only a builder of projects in the chosen sectors but also planners, designers, financiers and constructors who operate and maintain large scale world class infrastructure projects. With a successful track record since its inception six decades ago, the conglomerate has interests around the world ranging from Developing and Constructing Infrastructure to Hospitality, Trading, Real Estate & Retailing. Its employees have created positive synergies with customers, partners and suppliers on prestigious projects in different countries across the globe.