With the excitement building up for the five-day literary extravaganza Jaipur lit fest, the latest to join the festival’s eclectic list of speakers is Nobel laureate Dalai Lama.
The spiritual guru will be in conversation with British-born essayist and novelist Pico Iyer on the first day. This year, influence of Gautam Buddha on literature is one of the major themes at the fest. “Literature has played a major role in my life,” the spiritual leader said in his official statement on participating at the fest.
The Nobel peace prize winner is likely to talk about how literature has helped in shaping his life and philosophy. The first day’s session, in a way, would also set the tone for the other sessions on the theme during the festival.
Organizers said that Dalai Lama’s visit would lend a special touch to the focus theme of the festival. Buddhist devotional songs would also be played at the venue.
The official release on Monday confirmed his participation, who will speak at the session ‘Kinships of faiths: Finding the middle way’ at the front lawns.
“Since childhood, reading has been of great importance to me and I am often reminded of the immense kindness of the scholars of the past who translated a vast array of Buddhist literature into Tibetan. I look forward to attending the Jaipur Literature Festival and meeting people writing and reading,” the Dalai Lama said.
Festival co-director Namita Gokhale said, “Gautam Buddha’s impact on humanity lies beyond religion and theology. The entire fabric of Asian society – from Central Asia and Afghanistan to China and Japan – has been deeply influenced by the philosophy of Buddhism. Today Buddhism is a way of life for many people around the world. Our sessions on ‘The Buddha in Literature’ are a tribute to the way of seeing and knowing taught by the Buddha.”
For instance, the session ‘If you meet the Buddha on the road’ will see a discussion on Buddhism and Buddha’s dharma by Victor Chan, who has co-authored a book with Dalai Lama, Karma Ura, president of Centre for Bhutan Studies, Siddiq Wahid, political historian, Ranjini Obeyesekere, an expert on South Asian literature and culture and Nayanjot Lahiri, professor of history
Book release at fest: The English translation of Prabha Khaitan’s autobiography, ‘Anya Se Ananya’ will be released at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). Titled ‘A Life Apart’, the autobiography has been translated by author and editor Ira Pande. The book would be released by feminist writer Ahdaf Soueif on January 28 at Diggi Palace. Feminist writer, poet and activist, Khaitan hailed fro Churu district.
src: TOI