JAIPUR: Jaipur is set to come alive with the spirit of literature as the Jaipur Literature Festival returns from January 15 to 19. Often described as the world’s largest literary gathering, JLF 2026 is expected to go beyond books and authors, emerging as a global platform for ideas that shape the contemporary world.
This year, the festival will place a strong spotlight on evolving technology and artificial intelligence, reflecting how literature, science, and society are responding to rapid global change.
Explaining the festival’s thematic focus, JLF founder Sanjoy Roy said that AI-driven discussions have been prioritised as India is set to host a major AI summit on February 19–20. As a lead-up to this event, JLF will feature special sessions on mathematics, technology, artificial intelligence, and medical innovation.
“Young people should definitely attend the session with computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. He is coming to JLF for the first time and may never come again,” Roy said. He also highlighted the session on mathematics professor Marcus du Sautoy’s book Blueprint as a major attraction.
Reflecting on the festival’s evolution, Roy added, “After completing 19 years, JLF is no longer just a literary festival. It has become a global platform to understand the changing world. Discussions here span global issues, and the festival features authors and thinkers whom it is not easy for everyone to hear elsewhere.”
The festival is also likely to take on a strong diplomatic tone. The Bangladeshi High Commissioner has confirmed his presence, while the US Ambassador is expected to attend. If both dignitaries share the stage, the discussions could touch on sensitive issues such as the safety of minorities in Bangladesh and India–US trade relations, lending real-time geopolitical significance to the literary platform.
Roy clarified that environmental concerns have always been central to the festival’s discourse, and this year the Aravalli range will also be part of the conversation. The programme will include multiple political sessions, with the concluding debate focusing on freedom of expression.
True to its global character, the festival will bring together writers and thinkers from around the world, representing 43 languages. The United Nations Resident Coordinator will deliver the keynote address, underscoring JLF’s growing role as a forum for international dialogue. The presence of the former Prime Minister of Ireland and the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland will further enhance the festival’s global stature.
Adding to its prestige, the lineup will feature four Nobel laureates, along with Pulitzer Prize winners and several Sahitya Akademi Awardees. With literature, politics, technology, and diplomacy converging on one stage, Jaipur is set to once again emerge as one of the world’s most vibrant crossroads of ideas. on AI, Aravalli ecology, minorities in Bangladesh and trade with the US.