Zee Jaipur Literature Festival 2018: Your planner for the best sessions, events on Day One

The eleventh edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival kicks off today (Thursday, 25 January 2018) at the Diggi Palace Hotel, in what promises to be five engaging and entertaining days of literature, ideas, trends and much more across genres. Speakers from across the globe, representing a multitude of professions and interests, gather in the state capital for a packed schedule with over 200 sessions, book launches and music events. With a decade’s worth of experience now in the bag, the festival offers an exhaustive literary treat. And surely, all this can be a bit overwhelming. [caption id=“attachment_4317959” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  The eleventh edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival kicks off on Thursday, 25 January 2018[/caption] So here is a guide to Day One of the festival with all the sessions, speakers and music events that you should look out for. The day kicks off at 9.15 am with a music performance by Hindustani Classical vocalist, Meeta Pandit. The performance will be followed by an inaugural session and a keynote address — “Charting a world without borders” — by author Pico Iyer. The sessions then commence at 11.15 am across the seven venues inside the Diggi Palace (Charbagh, Front Lawn, Mughal Tent, Baithak, Durbar Hall, Samvad and Haveli), running till 6.15 pm in the evening. Here are some highlights: 11.15 am – 12.15 pm — (Charbagh) Dark Matter and Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe Lisa Randall introduced by Angela Saini — (Front Lawn) Magical Mystery Tour: The Beatles in India Philip Norman and Ajoy Bose in conversation — (Mughal Tent) A World Turned Upside Down: India in the 18th Century BN Goswamy, Maya Jasanoff and Uday S. Kulkarni in conversation with William Dalrymple 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm — (Front Lawn) Undercover in North Korea: Facts and Fictions Suki Kim in conversation with Michael Breen Writer Suki Kim talks about her rare encounter with one of the world’s most secretive countries and of the privileged young men she calls ‘soldiers and slaves’. — (Mughal Tent) Once Upon a Time: A Short History of the Fairy Tale Marina Warner introduced by Chandrahas Choudhury — (Baithak) The Islamic Enlightenment Christopher de Bellaigue introduced by Suzy Hansen 1.40 pm – 2.20 pm — (Charbagh) The Afterlife of James Tod’s Rajasthan Norbert Peabody, Rima Hooja and Giles Tillotson, in conversation with Mrinalini Venkateswaran 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm — (Charbagh) A Conspiracy of Bones Kathy Reichs in conversation with Amrita Tripathi The American crime writer, forensic anthropologist, academic and producer of the TV series Bones (loosely based on her works), speaks of her writing, popular science and communication, crime and punishment, gender and equity. — (Front Lawn) A Life in Music Zakir Hussain and Nasreen Munni Kabir in conversation with Sanjoy K Roy 3.45 pm – 4.45 pm — (Front Lawn) The Real Thing Tom Stoppard in conversation with Sanjna Kapoor The British playwright and the winner of an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Shakespeare in Love discusses his life and work. — (Baithak) The Templars, The Rise and the Spectacular Fall of God’s Holy Warriors Dan Jones introduced by Diarmaid MacCulloch — (Samvad) Mira Nair: The Personal and the Political Mira Nair in conversation with Vir Sanghvi 5.15 pm – 6.15 pm — (Charbagh) The Art of Stillness Pico Iyer in conversation with Patrick French British-born Indian origin essayist Pico Iyer, who leads a nomadic life between a Benedictine hermitage in California, Nara in Japan and international airports around the world, speaks with writer and historian Patrick French about his life and work, movement and stillness, changelessness and change. You can check the full schedule for the day with all the scheduled book launches here, and the entire list of speakers here. Following the sessions, Hotel Clarks Amer will host the Music Stage for the day — a concert featuring performances by Barmer Boys and Trippy Sama, and Kailash Kher and Kailasa from 7.30 pm. You can buy tickets for the performance here. On to Day Two!