The Jaipur Literature Festival is a fabulous annual extravaganza of literature, music and much more. I first went in 2011 and couldn’t resist another visit in 2012. I then vowed not to return until my first book was published and I was invited as an author.
It was a wonderful feeling therefore to be invited to the 2016 Festival to talk about Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom. I was particularly delighted to be on stage with the Sikkimese poet Guru Tshering Ladakhi. Guru’s poetry captures with great intelligence what it means to be Sikkimese in the 21st century – seeking to understand the past and full of hope for the future. The session was expertly chaired by C Raja Mohan from The Indian Express (India Director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace).
The video is below. (Many apologies for the dreadful gurn that they chose for the cover of the video but worth watching for Guru’s readings of his own excellent poetry alone.)
I’m also delighted to report that Penguin Random House India will be bringing out a paperback version of the book next month.
Andrew Duff 