Kumbh of literature

The 11th edition of Jaipur literature festival celebrates the readers, keeping the gates open to all

For the bookworms who look forward to  the Jaipur literature festival, it’s time to celebrate. To mark the 11th year of the festival, the organisers are providing young students a chance to learn, understand and interact with the world renowned authors without any financial restrictions.

The Delhi preview at the Taj Mahal Hotel featured a session titled ‘Populism is the Greatest Threat to Democracy’ with panellists Shashi Tharoor, Rakhshanda Jalil, Pavan K Varma, Akhil Sibal, Pinky Anand and Pragya Tiwari was the moderator. Setting the tone for the evening the discussion started with where the word ‘Populism’ came from. The word has been in use since 1890s to refer to politics in very different ends of the spectrum. While populists are seen as anti-pluralists and claim to represent the people and whoever opposes them are anti-people.

Populists seek to delegitimise all oppositions and criticisms. Thus, claiming to be anti-elite, ironically to consolidate power. Populist parties even tend to become monolithic over time with a disregard for institutions and democratic traditions. They try to project simplistic and quite often disastrous policy solutions for complex problems. But when populism is polarising, it doesn’t just weaken democracy, it can threaten the rights of the minority of the nation, down to the very right to life.

Rakhshanda Jalil, the welknown author  spoke about populism with examples on the rise of Hitler and the charismatic last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of Czech Republic, Vacla Havel to demonstrate why and how it is necessary to have a moral ordain when it comes to populism. “History is important to me because as people and as a country, we are becoming self referential”.

While Akhil Sibal believes that populism draws us towards majoritarianism. Populist politics rely on some form of oppositional enemy to create and manufacture meaningless controversies to stay in power.

Adding to the discussion, Shashi Tharoor was of the opinion that populism always presumes to speak for the people and undermines the court of law.

The festival is scheduled to take place from January 25 to 29 at the Diggi Palace Hotel, Jaipur Rajasthan.