The JLF witnessed intellectual bankruptcy and a “circus-like” atmosphere. The organizers may be proud of the large turnout, but the truth is that 80 percent of the attendees were there only to create ‘Instagram Reels’ and take selfies with celebrities. Even during serious discussions between sessions, there was constant noise and laughter from the food stalls in the background. Is this a celebration of literature or the opening of a shopping mall?
The Dictatorship of Wealthy and Influential Families in the Name of Literature:
The organizers talk about ‘inclusivity,’ but in reality, the festival has become a clique of wealthy and influential families. Ordinary Hindi or regional language writers are marginalized, while writers who speak English with a ‘foreign accent’ are given preferential treatment. Velvet sofas for those with the ₹14,000 per day ‘Friend of the Festival’ passes and a stony ground for the average literature lover—this is the organizers’ idea of ’democracy’.
Recycling of Ideas, Nothing New:
William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale return every year with the same old faces and the same old issues. The level of discussion in 2026 is the same as it was in 2010. Instead of giving a platform to new and revolutionary ideas, the organizers invite the same ‘established’ names that fit their marketing agenda. This festival is no longer exploring new intellectual territory, but merely regurgitating old ideas.
Literature Becoming a Slave to Sponsors:
Seeing the large hoardings of corporate brands in every corner of the festival, it seems that the voices of the writers have been drowned out by these brands. When literature becomes completely dependent on corporate funding, it loses the courage to question ‘power’ and the ‘system’. The JLF has now become an “intellectual spectacle.”
The people of Jaipur have received nothing but traffic jams and pollution:
The organizers managed to attract crowds without considering the city’s infrastructure, but it is the ordinary citizens of Jaipur who are paying the price. Hours of traffic jams, litter strewn across the streets, and noise pollution. For the people of Jaipur, the JLF is no longer a source of “cultural pride,” but an “annual headache.” The organizers call it “the world’s largest free literary festival,” but the heavy price is being paid by the culture and dignity of Jaipur’s literary scene.
