You’ll get lost here. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] On a hilly mound, this structure is more than just the ruined tomb of Adam Khan, a scheming foster-brother of Akbar whom the Mughal Emperor punished by having him…
Saluting the lit lovers. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s the people. In the 6th Jaipur Literature Festival, The Delhi Walla liked the readers more than the authors. I was moved by the earnestness of Delhi University students…
The tea in the earthen cup. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the many good things about the 6th Jaipur Literature Festival was the free chai served daily in the two chai breaks – at morning and…
On porn, aging and writing. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Writing fiction in the eighties was a loner’s job. “No profiles, no photo sessions, no book tours,” said London-based author Martin Amis in the session ‘Writing the 1980s’,…
Irvine Welsh’s ‘fuck’ fixation. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] His was the last and the shortest session in the Jaipur Literature Festival. His was also the only session in which questions ran out before the stipulated one-hour time….
Listening to Sex & the City writer Candice Bushnell. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] She came, laughed, growled, flailed her arms, groped for words and gave relationship tips. The high-heeled and perfectly manicured Candice Bushnell, the author of…
The great historical romance. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It was pulp romance meeting the Partition. History was sexed up at the session in Mughal Tent, in which TV host Karan Thapar chatted with Alex von Tunzelmann, the…
The surprise package. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] The surprise winner of the Jaipur marathon was a plump woman. At 10 am, Mughal tent in Diggi Palace hotel was slotted for authors William Dalrymple and Mahmood Farooqui. The…
The big draw. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] A great crowd collected to hear JM Coetzee, one of the two Nobel laureates attending the Jaipur Literature Festival (the other is Orhan Pamuk). A reclusive South African author who…
Her mama’s girl. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Instead of talking about boyfriend Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish writer who too is attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, novelist Kiran Desai talked – in great detail – about her mother,…
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