Vedanta Presents JLF 2026: Where 500 Voices, 300 Sessions & Endless Ideas Shape the Future

Ananya soch: The Jaipur Literature Festival 2026, presented by Vedanta, is gearing up for its most expansive and ambitious edition yet. Taking place from January 15 to 19, 2026, the world’s largest free literary festival will host over 300 sessions and more than 500 speakers from India and around the world. The festival will unfold across its iconic venues—Front Lawn, Charbagh, Surya Mahal, Durbar Hall, and Baithak, offering a vibrant blend of literature, culture, art, and global discourse. 

Vedanta Presents JLF 2026:

Stellar Literary Highlights & Global Voices

This year’s lineup showcases some of the most celebrated writers and thinkers of our times.

• Kiran Desai, Booker Prize winner, will discuss her acclaimed novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.

• Gopalkrishna Gandhi will reflect on India’s journey through his works The Undying Light and India and Her Futures.

• Banu Mushtaq, International Booker Prize 2025 winner, will present her powerful narrative Heart Lamp.

• Devesh Kapur and Arvind Subramanian will explore India’s developmental trajectory through A Sixth of Humanity.

• Sahitya Akademi winner K. R. Meera will share insights into her bold storytelling.

• Global icon Stephen Fry brings his trademark wit to a discussion on A Bit of Fry.

• Chess legend Viswanathan Anand will narrate his inspiring rise in Lightning Kid. 

• International Stars & Contemporary Thinkers

The festival’s global dimension is strengthened by a distinguished roster:

• Pulitzer Prize winner Percival Everett (James)

• Acclaimed spiritual guide Gaur Gopal Das (You Can Have It All)

• Renowned nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar (Mitahaar)

• International comedian Vir Das (The Outsider)

• Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan (Question 7)

• Web pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee (This Is for Everyone)

Additionally, Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, analyses trust and digital collaboration, while former Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar presents revelations from his memoir Speaking My Mind.

Poetry, Graphic Narratives & Artistic Voices

The festival will also highlight visual and poetic storytelling, featuring:

• Yoshitoki Oima, Ujan Dutta, Abeer Kapoor, and Radhika Jha on the global influence of manga and graphic novels

• A powerful poetry reading by Alice Oswald, Lina Khalaf Tuffaha, and Tamim al-Barghouti

• Megha Majumdar on climate fiction in A Guardian and a Thief

• Satire and humor by Ian Hyslop (Private Eye) 

• Nobel Laureates, Historians & Cultural Icons

The presence of global intellectual heavyweights—Esther Duflo, Anne Applebaum, Stephen Greenblatt, Fredrik Logevall—along with Indian literary icons—Sudha Murthy, Amish, Shobhaa De, Navtej Sarna, Jeet Thayil, Ashwin Sanghi, Gurcharan Das—enhances the festival's extraordinary diversity and depth. 

Innovation, Education & Social Change

Thought-provoking sessions will include:

• Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Safeena Hussain on education and equality

• Google DeepMind scientist Ali Islami on digital creativity, art, and emerging technologies 

• Festival Statement: A Celebration of Human Experience

Festival Co-Founder Namita Gokhale highlighted the event’s essence:
“JLF 2026 carries the same spontaneity and energy that has defined every edition. We celebrate multilingualism, diversity, and the boundless spectrum of human experience. In January, the world will come to Jaipur, and Jaipur will meet the world.”