Program

Celebrating books, ideas, and dialogue, the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival is described as “the greatest literary show on Earth”. JLF New York, that embodies its indomitable spirit and energy, returns to New York in 2024, presenting a series of conversations and performances that examine the human experience with some of the world’s leading authors, thinkers, and performers.

Other Partners for Women in Culture Conclave include The Culture Tree, Jayaram Studios, Tagmo and Rupee Beer.

Featured Speakers Include:

Marilyn Hacker, eminent poet, translator & critic and a feminist. Recipient of Lambda Literary Award and other numerous honors, including the Bernard F. Conners Prize from The Paris Review, the John Masefield Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, the PEN Voelcker Award, the Argana International Poetry Prize from the Beit as-Shir/House of Poetry in Morocco, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is also the Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York and was elected as Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2008.

Bushra Rehman, an award-winning novelist & poet, and author of the New York Times and New Yorker Editor’s Choice of the Year Roses in The Mouth of a Lion, a modern classic about what it means to be Muslim and queer in a Pakistani-American community.

Anu Sehgal, children's author and founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education company that focuses on South Asia.

Raakhee Mirchandani, journalist, children’s book author, activist, also co-author of She Persisted with Chelsea Clinton and the  upcoming Kamala Raised Her Hand.

Aroon Shivdasani, founder, former executive & artistic director of the Indo-American Arts Council, NYC, and recipient of the Minnie Untermeyer Award for Excellence in the Arts, 2023.

Sunita Iqbal, senior advisor in private and public arts philanthropy, who has worked with major arts funders including the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts in partnership with the Regional and Economic Development Council's Arts and Culture Initiatives and Capital Improvement Funds, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and DanceNYC.

Myna Mukherjee, listed amongst India's top 5 curators revolutionizing the art space by Lifestyle Magazine and Open Magazine's Top 50 Open Minds 2024. She is a cultural curator, producer and director of Engendered, a transnational arts & human rights organization in New Delhi.

Shruti Ganguly, is a filmmaker and writer based between New York City and Oslo. She has produced and directed films that have premiered at major festivals like Sundance and Venice, and is known for projects such as TRIPPED UP and SECRET DAUGHTER. Ganguly co-founded Prism Entertainment to focus on South Asian stories and has worked with brands like Nike and Netflix through her production company honto88. A co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus, Ganguly is also a published writer and serves on several boards, including NYWIFT and Neutrogena Studios. 

 

Indian writer, politician and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has authored over 22 books of fiction and non-fiction. Adept at thinking spontaneously and conversing on any subject, Tharoor is well-regarded for his critical and considered opinions. His predilection for challenging words and telling phrases has created a sub-genre of #Tharoorisms, and his attempts at stand-up comedy have won him a constituency of admirers. In conversation with journalist Aroon Purie, Tharoor talks about ideas, inspirations, and the many levels at which he engages with the world.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 stands out as a turning point in the bloody history of the British Empire and India's struggle for Independence. On that fateful day of April 13, 1919, General Dyer opened fire on a peaceful crowd inside a community park in Amritsar and killed almost a thousand unarmed civilians. 22-year-old Nanak Singh survived the bloodshed and wrote a searing ballad, Khooni Vaisakhi, which was soon banned by the British. Nanak Singh went on to become one of the best known writers of Punjabi language and his diplomat grandson, Navdeep Suri, has translated the poem into English. He will be accompanied by singer Vidya Shah and in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy. 

Academic and writer Tania James’ recent novel, Loot, follows the journey of a young woodcarver in the 18th century and discovers how his experiences mirror the transformation of nations and dynasties ravaged by war across India and Europe. In conversation with journalist and academic, Sree Sreenivasan she discusses the legacy of colonialism traversing through India, France and England.

The legacy of Indian fashion is a vibrant tapestry, seamlessly weaving together elements of the past and present, tradition and modernity. Fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani’s creations navigate these histories, from the impact of globalization and colonization on attire to the revival of long-forgotten techniques. His book, Journey to India Modern, written with investigative journalist Alia Allana, reveals the paths he takes for his craft, and the significance of his luxury design studio in today's world. In conversation with celebrated fashion consultant and philanthropist Fern Mallis, Tahiliani shares insights into his explorations in fashion around the globe, his efforts to merge stories across time and space, and the questions he seeks to pose through his designs.

Historian and archaeologist Josephine Quinn's recent work, How the World Made the West, is an expansive history of the origins of the West spanning 4000 years. Questioning the idea of ‘civilisations’ within history, Quinn presents an intriguing idea of how it was contact and connections, rather than distinct and isolated civilisations, that drove historical change.  In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Quinn calls for a reassessment of the idea of the ‘West’ and takes a deep dive into a shared history lost in time.

 

Best-selling author André Aciman’s collection of essays, Homo Irrealis, explores what time means to artists who cannot grasp life in the present. Irrealis moods are not about the past, the present, or the future; instead, they are about what might have been but never was, but in theory, could still happen. From meditations on subway poetry and the temporal resonances of an empty Italian street, to considerations of the lives and work of famous thinkers, the collection is a deep reflection on the imagination’s power to forge a zone outside of time’s intractable hold. In conversation with writer Kanishk Tharoor, Aciman takes us on a spellbinding journey that combines aesthetics, art, and his lived experiences.

 

Devika Rege's acclaimed debut novel, Quarterlife, is a reflective narrative about India’s political pulse and changing value systems. Following a mosaic of characters amidst a shifting socio-political landscape, it offers a thoughtful exploration of identity and the dynamics of societal transformation. In conversation with journalist Nermeen Shaikh, Rege discusses the book’s themes and its resonance with contemporary Indian society.

An intense session that examines the tragic consequences of a world at war with itself, and the antidotes to destructive hatred through love, peace and harmony. Izzeldin Abuelaish is the author of the powerful and devastating memoir, I Shall Not Hate, which stands witness to his personal tragedies. A Palestinian-Canadian physician and an internationally recognised humanitarian, human rights and inspirational peace activist,  he has dedicated his life to using health as a vehicle for peace, and, despite all odds, succeeded, aided by a great determination of spirit, strong faith, and a stalwart belief in hope and family. In conversation with entrepreneur Mohit Satyanand.

Celebrating books, ideas, and dialogue, the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival is described as “the greatest literary show on Earth”. JLF New York, that embodies its indomitable spirit and energy, returns to New York in 2024, presenting a series of conversations and performances that examine the human experience with some of the world’s leading authors, thinkers, and performers.

Other Partners for Women in Culture Conclave include The Culture Tree, Jayaram Studios, Tagmo and Rupee Beer.

Featured Speakers Include:

Marilyn Hacker, eminent poet, translator & critic and a feminist. Recipient of Lambda Literary Award and other numerous honors, including the Bernard F. Conners Prize from The Paris Review, the John Masefield Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, the PEN Voelcker Award, the Argana International Poetry Prize from the Beit as-Shir/House of Poetry in Morocco, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is also the Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York and was elected as Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2008.

Bushra Rehman, an award-winning novelist & poet, and author of the New York Times and New Yorker Editor’s Choice of the Year Roses in The Mouth of a Lion, a modern classic about what it means to be Muslim and queer in a Pakistani-American community.

Anu Sehgal, children's author and founder of The Culture Tree, a cultural literacy and language education company that focuses on South Asia.

Raakhee Mirchandani, journalist, children’s book author, activist, also co-author of She Persisted with Chelsea Clinton and the  upcoming Kamala Raised Her Hand.

Aroon Shivdasani, founder, former executive & artistic director of the Indo-American Arts Council, NYC, and recipient of the Minnie Untermeyer Award for Excellence in the Arts, 2023.

Sunita Iqbal, senior advisor in private and public arts philanthropy, who has worked with major arts funders including the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts in partnership with the Regional and Economic Development Council's Arts and Culture Initiatives and Capital Improvement Funds, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and DanceNYC.

Myna Mukherjee, listed amongst India's top 5 curators revolutionizing the art space by Lifestyle Magazine and Open Magazine's Top 50 Open Minds 2024. She is a cultural curator, producer and director of Engendered, a transnational arts & human rights organization in New Delhi.

Shruti Ganguly, is a filmmaker and writer based between New York City and Oslo. She has produced and directed films that have premiered at major festivals like Sundance and Venice, and is known for projects such as TRIPPED UP and SECRET DAUGHTER. Ganguly co-founded Prism Entertainment to focus on South Asian stories and has worked with brands like Nike and Netflix through her production company honto88. A co-founder of the Resistance Revival Chorus, Ganguly is also a published writer and serves on several boards, including NYWIFT and Neutrogena Studios. 

 

Indian writer, politician and Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has authored over 22 books of fiction and non-fiction. Adept at thinking spontaneously and conversing on any subject, Tharoor is well-regarded for his critical and considered opinions. His predilection for challenging words and telling phrases has created a sub-genre of #Tharoorisms, and his attempts at stand-up comedy have won him a constituency of admirers. In conversation with journalist Aroon Purie, Tharoor talks about ideas, inspirations, and the many levels at which he engages with the world.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 stands out as a turning point in the bloody history of the British Empire and India's struggle for Independence. On that fateful day of April 13, 1919, General Dyer opened fire on a peaceful crowd inside a community park in Amritsar and killed almost a thousand unarmed civilians. 22-year-old Nanak Singh survived the bloodshed and wrote a searing ballad, Khooni Vaisakhi, which was soon banned by the British. Nanak Singh went on to become one of the best known writers of Punjabi language and his diplomat grandson, Navdeep Suri, has translated the poem into English. He will be accompanied by singer Vidya Shah and in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy. 

Academic and writer Tania James’ recent novel, Loot, follows the journey of a young woodcarver in the 18th century and discovers how his experiences mirror the transformation of nations and dynasties ravaged by war across India and Europe. In conversation with journalist and academic, Sree Sreenivasan she discusses the legacy of colonialism traversing through India, France and England.

The legacy of Indian fashion is a vibrant tapestry, seamlessly weaving together elements of the past and present, tradition and modernity. Fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani’s creations navigate these histories, from the impact of globalization and colonization on attire to the revival of long-forgotten techniques. His book, Journey to India Modern, written with investigative journalist Alia Allana, reveals the paths he takes for his craft, and the significance of his luxury design studio in today's world. In conversation with celebrated fashion consultant and philanthropist Fern Mallis, Tahiliani shares insights into his explorations in fashion around the globe, his efforts to merge stories across time and space, and the questions he seeks to pose through his designs.

Historian and archaeologist Josephine Quinn's recent work, How the World Made the West, is an expansive history of the origins of the West spanning 4000 years. Questioning the idea of ‘civilisations’ within history, Quinn presents an intriguing idea of how it was contact and connections, rather than distinct and isolated civilisations, that drove historical change.  In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Quinn calls for a reassessment of the idea of the ‘West’ and takes a deep dive into a shared history lost in time.

 

Best-selling author André Aciman’s collection of essays, Homo Irrealis, explores what time means to artists who cannot grasp life in the present. Irrealis moods are not about the past, the present, or the future; instead, they are about what might have been but never was, but in theory, could still happen. From meditations on subway poetry and the temporal resonances of an empty Italian street, to considerations of the lives and work of famous thinkers, the collection is a deep reflection on the imagination’s power to forge a zone outside of time’s intractable hold. In conversation with writer Kanishk Tharoor, Aciman takes us on a spellbinding journey that combines aesthetics, art, and his lived experiences.

 

Devika Rege's acclaimed debut novel, Quarterlife, is a reflective narrative about India’s political pulse and changing value systems. Following a mosaic of characters amidst a shifting socio-political landscape, it offers a thoughtful exploration of identity and the dynamics of societal transformation. In conversation with journalist Nermeen Shaikh, Rege discusses the book’s themes and its resonance with contemporary Indian society.

An intense session that examines the tragic consequences of a world at war with itself, and the antidotes to destructive hatred through love, peace and harmony. Izzeldin Abuelaish is the author of the powerful and devastating memoir, I Shall Not Hate, which stands witness to his personal tragedies. A Palestinian-Canadian physician and an internationally recognised humanitarian, human rights and inspirational peace activist,  he has dedicated his life to using health as a vehicle for peace, and, despite all odds, succeeded, aided by a great determination of spirit, strong faith, and a stalwart belief in hope and family. In conversation with entrepreneur Mohit Satyanand.