BB Desk
The 12th edition of the much-anticipated JLF London took place at the British Library from 13–15 June 2025, continuing its more than a decade-long legacy of bringing the unmatched literary energy of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival to the UK. As a prelude to the festival, a Preview was held at the British Council in New Delhi on 27 May offering a curated glimpse into the festival’s diverse programming, its global speaker line-up, and the vibrant dialogue it promised to deliver.
Presented by Teamwork Arts in partnership with the British Council, the preview event aimed to bring to audiences the rich and varied segments that the programme encapsulates, ranging from history, the nuances of language, fiction, memoir, and cuisine to science, technology and the feminist identity.
It also celebrated the festival’s longstanding commitment towards international cultural exchange and meaningful discourse. Over the years, JLF London at the British Library has emerged as a unique confluence of voices—bridging South Asia’s multilingual literary heritage with global thought leaders, authors, historians, artists, and changemakers.
At the preview, acclaimed author Ira Mukhoty spoke about her latest book, The Lion and the Lily, in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy. The book vividly chronicles the rise and fall of Awadh in the eighteenth century, a time when the region became one of the richest and most sought-after in India. The preview of JLF London 2025 was held in the presence of key dignitaries including Ms Lindy Cameron CB OBE, British High Commissioner to India where she highlighted about JLF’s global influence and expressed her enthusiasm for its much-anticipated return to London.
JLF London 2025 unleashed a powerful celebration of ideas and storytelling, featuring some of the most urgent voices from across the world. This year’s programme showcased a range of unmissable sessions that span literature, politics, identity, food, history, and resilience. From literary legends to debut voices, from global affairs to the deeply personal, JLF London at the British Library once again was a coming together of words, ideas, stories highlighting their unlimited ability to transport us to new worlds and perspectives.
One of the key highlights of the Festival was the session Paro: Rescripting the Narrative, where award-winning author and Festival Director Namita Gokhale revisited Paro – her explosive and iconoclastic novel of the 80s that disrupted dominant narratives of womanhood of the time, and continues to inspire and electrify its readers with probing questions on female identity and sexuality even four decades later.
Gokhale was joined in conversation by acclaimed writer, translator, and screenwriter Anu Singh Choudhary, whose work—from the TV series Aarya to the film adaptation Mrs.—persistently interrogates gender and agency. Moderated by broadcast journalist Georgina Godwin, the session explored how storytelling continues to recast expectations of women and why certain frames demand constant refocusing in India.
Speaking about the festival, Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, shared, “JLF continues to be a platform for voices that challenge, inspire, and provoke thought. We remain committed to creating space for nuanced and considered conversations. We’re deeply thankful to the British Council for their continued belief in the transformative role of culture, dialogue, and ideas.”
Alison Barrett MBE, Country Director India, British Council added,“We are thrilled to support Heart Lamp author and International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq at JLF London 2025, a powerful platform to celebrate India-UK literary connections. From funding sample translations during the India-UK Season of Culture to supporting Indian writers like Avino Kire from Nagaland and Anuradha Sarma Pujari from Assam, the British Council is proud to help these voices reach new audiences and expand their readership. This is part of our wider partnership with Teamwork Arts, including the British Council and Jaipur BookMark Publishing Fellowship, which supports independent publishers to thrive and enrich our shared literary landscape.”
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