Not just books, music and fashion to also charm JLF audience

Touted as the "greatest literary show on Earth", the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) will engage its audience with a slew of music, dance, and fashion performances, along with hundreds of sessions by leading writers and thinkers from across the globe.

Two glorious Heritage Evenings which will be set against the backdrop of the city's spectacular monuments, the organisers, Teamwork Arts said on Tuesday.

On the evenings of January 25 and 26, in association with Rajasthan Tourism, JLF will host grand events at the city's iconic Amber Fort and the Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) multi-arts center. While the two evenings are dedicated to the monuments of Jaipur, the spell-binding shows will celebrate India's rich and diverse culture.

"Clothing as Identity" is a fashion Show by Artisan Designers of Kutch and will be a vibrant narration of the diversity and unity found in the rich cultural traditions of Kutch through its prevalent fashions.

Numerous communities from Sindh, Persia and Africa, as also what is now Rajasthan, migrated to Kutch, bringing with them their traditions, costumes, culture and shaped the region's unique identity.

A musical evening will further await audiences on Republic Day (January 26) with a mix of enthralling music and dance performances. The festival will bring together art, culture and built heritage at the Amber Fort. The evening will begin with a performance by Folk land, International Centre for Folklore & Culture, Kerala showcasing Theyyam, a ceremonial dance depicting famous folk, tribal and mythological stories with music, dance and mime.

A chorus of traditional musical instruments will accompany this stately dance.

Following the performance, Man Booker Prize winner, acclaimed poet, novelist, essayist and playwright Ben Okri will be on stage presenting "The Griot", a new kind of live literary experience in the tradition of bards and griots, ancient story-tellers and custodians of oral traditions.

Another highlight of the evening will be a recital by Sitar Ensemble, one of India's most accomplished sitar duos: Shakir Khan and Azeem Ahmed Alvi. Shakir, son and disciple of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, and Alvi, a disciple of the sitar maestro, have come together to form this unique collaboration as the eighth generation representatives of the Etawah gharana. Ustad Akram Khan and Hafeez Ahmed Khan will join them on the stage.

"Every year, with support from Rajasthan Tourism, Heritage Evenings at the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival celebrate the heritage of the state and highlight its rich cultural and architectural legacy through performing arts. This year, we will present some of the best in earthy fashion, music and folk-dance against the backdrop of two unique spaces - Amber Fort and Jawahar Kala Kendra.

"The events are exclusively curated to bring the audiences closer to the diverse cultural heritage of India," said Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts and Producer of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

The 2019 edition of Jaipur Literature Festival is scheduled to take place from January 24 to 28 in the Pink City.

--IANS

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