From the mind of a chess grandmaster to the wit of Stephen Fry, from the origins of fiction to the mysteries of the universe, Day 2 at Vedanta Presents Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 unfolded as a rich exploration of ideas, intellect, and creative expression, at Hotel Clarks Amer, Jaipur.
The world’s most iconic literary celebration, a carnival of books, ideas, music, art, heritage and the connections forged between cultures continued to draw packed audiences across venues, building on the Festival’s momentum of the previous day, that included the launch of Older, Bolder, the first edition of the book by Aman Nath, unveiled by Sanjoy K. Roy and Zeenat Aman. Speaking about it, Aman Nath said, “My book is dedicated to faces loved and left behind and faces that I loved but never knew.” Reflecting on the work, Zeenat Aman added, “If you read through the book, you will find a range of subjects that he has chosen to talk about both in poetry and prose over the years of his journey.”
The second day began with Morning Music by Bhanwari Devi of the Bhopa community, whose soulful folk performance brought the rich traditions of Rajasthan to life, followed by the Festival’s first session, Lightning Kid, which saw World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand in conversation with Rahul Bhattacharya. The session traced Anand’s illustrious career, tactical evolutions in the global chess circuit, and the personal motivations behind his latest literary work, Lightning Kid. Encouraging curiosity among the young players, Anand said, “You should have one thing you do, intentionally and passionately, that you do not get paid for.”
(L-R) Poonam Saxena – Kumari Rohini
In his book, and at the session, he acknowledged his mother’s influence on his life and career, and filled it with a fun, anecdotal train of recounting. Anand also shared the non-glamorous parts of his journey – training, pressures and failures.
Conversations on contemporary realities continued with The Philanthropy Paradox, featuring Esther Duflo, Siddharth Sharma, Vaibhav Budhraja and Kanta Singh, in conversation with Naushad Forbes. The panel spoke on the purpose and goals of philanthropy, success stories from the industry, and the complexities in the interaction of government, NGOs, and private trusts, alongside the lack of centralisation with regard to what women can bring to the philanthropic world. The day continued with The Travel Session, where Geoff Dyer, Lyse Doucet, Noa Avishag Schnall and Pallavi Aiyar, in
conversation with Monisha Rajesh, read from their recent books and brought in perspectives on what travel writing truly is. Each author examined the idea that travel writing can be seen as a memoir, but it is not just about oneself, but the environment one puts oneself in and the journey through it.
Well-known British actor Stephen Fry reflected on language, wit and intellectual curiosity in a wide- ranging conversation with Anish Gawande. The session, A Bit of Fry, traced his journey from a troubled childhood to becoming one of Britain’s most beloved public figures, anchored by his lifelong love of words. Fry spoke about discovering language as salvation, his fascination with anagrams, Oscar Wilde’s influence on his humour, and the joy of verbal excess, while also touching on identity, creativity, shame, social media, and the enduring power of ideas and ritual.
Audiences attended The Lost Heer: Women in Colonial Punjab, with Harleen Singh in conversation with British journalist Anita Anand. Harleen Singh discussed his latest book. Singh said he wanted to write about the histories of the women of Punjab, as they are not very well documented. Any representation of women of the province was through a colonial lens -as martial women- missing out on the femininity that the stories of these women carry. Singh said, “The history of common women is found in folklore; it’s found in recipes; it’s found in random pictures, where something might have accidentally been seen. Overall, they are scattered all over the place”. Talking about the title of the book, Singh said that he chose the title very consciously and named it so because Heer represents the quintessential Punjabi woman to him.
(L-R) Stephen Alter – Prajwal Parajuly
In a seminal session on the beginning of the universe, God Particle: The Story of Everything, CERN scientist Archana Sharma and astrophysicist Geraint Lewis, in conversation with Marcus du Sautoy, captivated audiences with a discussion on the universe’s fundamental mysteries. “Every discovery today is a catalyst for tomorrow,” said Archana Sharma at the session. The “God particle”, officially named the Higgs boson particle, is the universe’s fundamental particle, which gives mass to other elementary particles. Both scientists spoke about how the scientific world plans to use mathematics for the good of humanity.
Day 2 also saw the announcement of a new JLF International edition. Following successful editions in the USA, Valladolid, and London, JLF will now make its advent at the Island of Ireland. JLF Island of Ireland will be held from 22–31 May, 2026. The announcement outlined the vision and scope of the initiative and opened with a breathtaking fiddle performance by Ivan Rodrick, followed by remarks and conversation featuring Ambassador Kevin Kelly, Niamh Campbell, Michelle Galan, Sam Mc Bride, Fintan O Toole, Sonja Hyland, and Sanjoy K. Roy.
Continuing with new announcements, Teamwork Arts also gave out the dates for the upcoming Sleepwell Presents The Sacred Amritsar Festival 2026, to be held from Friday, February 20 to Sunday, February 22, 2026. A star-studded lineup of performers, including Padma Shri Kailash Kher and Kailasa; The Anirudh Varma Collective; The Kutle Khan Project; and Usha Uthup, are to be featured at the festival.
Attendees on the second day were also treated to Ojas Art: Ascending Roots, a conversation between Ravinder Reddy and Premjish Achari, introduced by Anubhav Nath, exploring the intersections of tradition, innovation, and cultural storytelling in contemporary Indian art. The session also marked the presentation of the Ojas Art Award for 2026 to Pisadu Ram Mandavi, a visual artist from the Muria tribe of Chhattisgarh, by Sonya Rhie Mace. Mandavi will be present at the festival on all five days, creating artworks live for audiences to enjoy.
The third day of literature’s most marquee celebration awaits sessions on The Magic of the Lost Earrings with Sudha Murty in conversation with Mandira Nayar. You Can Have It All: Unlock the Secrets to a Great Life with Gaur Gopal Das in conversation with Poulomi Chatterjee, Human Edge: What’s Cooking in AI with Ali Eslami, Nitin Seth, and Barsali Bhattacharyya in conversation with Sumeet Shetty, and What is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea with Fara Dabhoiwala in conversation with Oscar Guardiola- Rivera.
