JLF: Diggi Palace Transformed

We arrived in Jaipur yesterday afternoon – about 8 hours late.  Ground fog and prop planes are not an ideal flying combination. After dropping off bags at our hotel, we rushed over to Diggi Palace to check in with our peeps and check out the venue.  We were greeted by Gair dancers practicing their routine for tomorrow’s opening ceremony.

We wandered through controlled chaos, trying not to get in the way as the venue was transformed into a space for literary magic.

That’s Jessie Friedman, Boulder festival organizer, in the middle with Mike Eubank, City of Boulder Events Coordinator, and Jules Levinson, Jessie’s husband and co-organizer.

This year’s decorative theme features puppets, one of Jaipur’s notable arts. My favorites are the gigantic literary group commissioned for the Festival. That’s Precious Ramotswe in the back,, with more sinister characters to her right: Napolean the Pig from Animal Farm, and Alex from A Clockwork Orange.

Twilight falls and the Front Lawn is ready to party.