Joni

Festival crowds over the weekend were astounding. Some 5000 people packed themselves into the Diggi Palace grounds. Here are some before and after pictures of the main venue to give a flavor of the crowds. After the Sunday, crush, Monday morning seemed relatively empty. Mike and I wondered aloud why they ran the Festival for … Read more

Not all the music at JLF is classical – that’s just where my taste runs.  Most nights, the music definitely trends towards a younger crowd. Here’s the scene on Friday night, when The Skavengers, a band with an “organic melange of Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Dub, Jazz and Punk with some Cuban and other Latin influences … Read more

The Amber Fort is a marvelous piece of India’s heritage architecture.  The Fort has been much improved since I was last in Jaipur (seems to be true for a lot of India’s monuments), including a magnificent restoration of the frescoes around the main gate to the inner palace. Folks in the Tourism Agency asked Teamwork … Read more

A core part of the Jaipur Literature Festival’s mission is giving back to the community. Teamwork Arts seeks out local artisans and non-profits, then provides them with free space at the festival to display their wares and promote their causes. A cloth elephant, notecards made from camel dung, and a pashmina scarf (yes, Fran, there’s … Read more

This visit, I am struck by Jaipur’s cleanliness: no litter on the streets, fastidiously clean washrooms – there’s even soap! In the Delhi airport, I noticed signs promoting a “Green India” (solar power, environmental protection) with “Banega Swacch” on all the food waste and recycling bins. At JLF, these signs are displayed all around the grounds. Turns … Read more