Trump Turns Up At Lit Fests All Over!

The dramatic moves of Donald Trump, which have shaken up the global order, dominated the discussion.
A sense of bewilderment prevailed, but there was also expectation that President Trump would settle down to a more traditional style of governance after a time of shock and awe, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, an attendee at literary festivals in Calicut, Jaipur, Kochi, Sharjah and Thiruvanathapuram.

Call them International Book Fairs, Book Festivals, Conclaves, Dialogues, Conferences, Meets or by any other name, Festivals have become fashionable everywhere in India, whether in main cities or in sleepy villages.

Apart from luxury hotels, ancient monuments, beaches, auditoria and temples and churches have become venues, resplendent with local art work, work of artisans and modern designs. They become markets, eating places and sports arenas apart from book stores, libraries and playgrounds.

There is something for the young and old, the intellectuals and playful groups doing their own things, but the mission of all the Festivals is to impart knowledge in an interesting and innovative manner.

They are elitist in nature, but they benefit all sections of the society, by way of business, industry and entrepreneurship.

This year, I was invited to more festivals than before as my eleventh book, Diplomacy Liberated was published in June. But the role given to me varied from place to place, depending on the preoccupations of the organisers.

Apart from trade, which was popular in the light of Trump's threat of trade wars, I was even asked to speak on Orthopedics and Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

Since more than two hundred slots of speakers were to be filled, square pegs had to be fitted into round holes!

The Jaipur International Book Fair had come home after making a splash in several US cities.

I was not a speaker there, but a 'Speaker Companion' of my son Sree Sreenivasan with the same privileges as speakers.

Without any particular agenda, I could hop from session to session or simply wander around the iconic hotel with grand decorations with visits to the Speakers Lounge, which offered Rajasthani and international cuisine.

In terms of the level of celebrities and hospitality, Jaipur excelled others. Apart from well-known authors by the dozens and a Nobel Laureate, former British prime minister Rishi Sunak was spotted in the audience when his wife and mother-in-law had a charming chat in the main hall.

Of course, Sudha Murty looked more royal than Rishi and his wife. But none could beat the co-founder of the Festival, Sanjoy Roy, with his characteristic hair style and charming ways.

Equality was enforced everywhere, with a no reservation policy except for senior citizens.

The presence of more than a dozen former Indian ambassadors speaking on a variety of subjects was interesting.

The session on New America, which my son moderated, was marked by a certain anxiety about the unpredictability of Donald Trump.

I had gone to Jaipur fresh from the beach of Calicut, where the Kerala Literary Festival was staged.

In scale, it may have been bigger than Jaipur. The indefatigable Ravi Dee Cee of DC books put up a great show and the number of sessions and participation of writers was vey impressive.

The hot weather and the sand were a contrast to the balmy weather and the colors in Jaipur.

The demise of the celebrated writer who lived in Calicut, M T Vasudevan Nair just before the Fair added poignancy to the event.

I had occasion to participate in a session on my book, hosted by an eminent journalist from Dubai, who focused more on diplomatic life than on geopolitics, making the conversation light in tone, but important in substance.

The organisation of the Fair and hospitality were top class, with the famed Paragon cuisine, which is one of the best in the world, delighted the palates of the local people as well as foreign visitors.

The Sharjah Book Fair, which preceded Kerala and Jaipur Festivals, was rightly characterised as the biggest book fair in the world.

DC Books organised my participation and arranged a conversation on the geopolitical issues in my book. It was done in the main hall on the last day of the Fair as a special session.

The hall was packed, but many called from the highway to say that they were returning home because of the traffic.

The display of Indian books in all languages, particularly Malayalam, was extremely impressive.

Deepa Joseph, a friend of mine and a Supreme Court lawyer created history by publishing a book on women's grit in a few weeks and making a surprise appearance at its release at the Fair.

The Jain University, a recently established deemed university campus in Kochi, had its own Festival named Future Summit, where thought leaders from around the world to discuss the future of the world in different sectors. I had a session on Education for the Future, based on my book, Education of an Ambassador.

The Malayalam television Channel 24 was inspired by the Festivals in the city to organise a one-day Business Conclave, where I spoke on the geopolitical background of global business.

Most speakers were successful businessmen, who shared their experience with the younger generation.

The Mathrubhumi Festival of Letters in Thiruvananthapuram took the city by storm and the Kanakakkunnu palace was a riot of colours and flavours.

I had a session on the first day itself for a conversation on my book with the eminent journalist, Arun Lakshman.

The dramatic moves of Donald Trump, which have shaken up the global order, dominated the discussion.

A sense of bewilderment prevailed, but there was also expectation that President Trump would settle down to a more traditional style of governance after a time of shock and awe.

Last but not the least, the Kochi based CPPR, a highly successful think-tank, organised a major conference on India-GCC relations billed as Kochi Dialogue.

My brother, former Ambassador T P Seetharam and I moderated a session each on different aspects of the growing relationship between India and the GCC, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seven visits to the UAE alone.

Every festival has its own agenda and impact. No one can participate or even have a glimpse of everything that happens in the sprawling venues.

It is like walking into a huge banquet and tasting only a few of the offerings and leaving with a sense of fulfilment.

The effort and expense in organising them appear to be disproportionately high. But both the organisers and participants seem to enjoy them and benefit from them and go back to them from year to year.

The festival season this year is not over yet, but, like migrating birds, the festival folks are already gearing up for the next season.

Ambassador T P Sreenivasan is a long-time contributor to Rediff.com.
You can read his earlier columns here.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com