Jaipur: Global luminaries, including writers, thinkers, policymakers, artists, and public intellectuals, are set to converge for the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) which begins Jan 15.Among the star-studded speakers are Stephen Fry, Sudha Murty, Tim Berners-Lee, Esther Duflo, Javed Akhtar, Vir Das, Vishwanathan Anand, Leo Varadkar, Alice Oswald, and Shikhar Dhawan, making the show a celebration of ideas and dialogue.Sharing details of the programme, Sanjoy K Roy, managing director of Teamwork Arts, said, “The festival will explore themes ranging from economics, AI, science, innovation, and technology to a conflict series reflecting the current global power play.”He said over the past 19 years, JLF had evolved into a meeting ground for imagination and debate while remaining deeply rooted in India’s cultural life. “The 2026 edition reflects our belief in literature’s power to provoke conversation and nurture empathy,” he said.Roy also underlined the festival’s impact on Jaipur’s local economy, noting that it engages nearly 2,000 professionals across production, hospitality, logistics, and technical operations, while partnering with around 60 regional businesses in food, crafts, décor, and merchandise.“The economic footprint of the festival is estimated at over Rs 100 crore, as restaurants, cafés, hotels, and transport services witness peak demand during the week,” he said.The festival has also emerged as a powerful brand ambassador for Rajasthan tourism. Apurv Kumar, venue partner and MD of Clarks Group of Hotels, said, “Rajasthan typically sees less than 2% repeat tourists, but the festival accounts for nearly 30% of repeat participants.”A highlight of the 2026 edition will be presentation of Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Award for Poetry to Yatinder Mishra, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Hindi and Rajasthani poetry. The award, instituted in memory of the iconic poet and social reformer, will be presented with a jury citation and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.Running parallel to the main festival, Jaipur BookMark, this year, will focus on the Marathi language, translations, emerging storytelling innovations, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in publishing.
