Dehradun, Feb. 8 -- The Jaipur Literary Festival was grand and glamorous in a singularly different way. The glitter lay on the written and spoken word of the writers, thinkers, artists, critics, scholars, publishers and readers from across the globe. Its importance was defined by the sheer depth and power of speakers like Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, Booker Prize winners Daman Galgut and Bano Mushtaq, authors of repute Kiran Desai, Esther Dufflo, Sudha Murthy, Vir Das, Avi Shlaim, Ian Hislop, Gaur Gopal Das, Amish, Malashri Lal, Dr Karan Singh, Swapna Liddle, Vrinda Grover, Namita Gokhale, William Dalrymple and one of the best writers in this august gathering was our very own, Stephen Alter.

At this particular festival I was represe...