JLF to make Maldives debut in May

The Jaipur Literature Festival will see its ninth international extension next May when the popular jamboree will be hosted in the Maldives that will feature a promising line-up of authors, workshops, music and art.

After global travel restrictions and lockdowns, JLF Soneva Fushi will be an opportunity to reconnect with the joys of live performances of art, music and literature against the backdrop of this idyllic island resort in the Indian Ocean, surrounded by pristine nature, the organisers said.

A truly bespoke experience, JLF Soneva Fushi will be a ''study in slow life, with morning yoga sessions, stimulating workshops, delectable international food and jaw-dropping sunsets against a languorous blue sea'', a statement said.

The festival will take place from May 13 to 22, 2022 at the Soneva Fushi luxury resort, which is located within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

According to festival co-director Namita Gokhale, this new edition will be an ''inspirational journey where we will explore new horizons, celebrating the elements and sharing the power of words and ideas, of poetry and music''.

Fellow co-director William Dalrymple said this is JLF's ''most exotic and pleasurable adventure yet''.

Sanjoy K Roy, managing director of JLF producer Teamwork Arts, said the best writers, thinkers, filmmakers and thought leaders from across the world and India will converge in the Maldives.

The JLF is held annually in Jaipur with yearly iterations in London, Belfast, New York, Colorado, Houston, Adelaide, Toronto and Doha.

Indian High Commissioner to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir said JLF will provide an ''exceptional platform for a global audience to engage with India, its cultural and literary heritage as well as strengthen cultural and bilateral ties between India and the Maldives''.

The speakers scheduled to attend include Italian-American writer Andre Aciman, British historian and author Peter Frankopan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and novelist Shobhaa De.

According to Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and joint creative director at Soneva, the facility will offer all the ''attractions of a stunning Maldivian backdrop, while feeding the need for self-enrichment and cultural curiosity'' to celebrate literature, music and art.

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