JLF’s first outing after Covid-19

Hybrid edition at Clarks Amer from 5 to 14 March 2022

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Full Circle has an exclusive stall at JLF 2022 replete with special corners featuring the books by the speakers of the day along with others participating in the hybrid edition of Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) 2022. Photo IPP

The 15th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), is hybridly taking place at Clarks Amer, including an on-ground event from 10 to 14 March 2022. The new venue was chosen in accordance with the Rajasthan government’s latest Covid-19 norms and allows for appropriate social distancing measures in view of the pandemic situation. It is the first major literary festival being held in India after the festivity drought caused by the global crisis. 

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Odissi dancer turned author Ileana Citaristi with her book Odissi and the Geeta Govinda at Jaipur Literature Festival 2022. Photo IPP

The festival premises have been beautified with decorations and installations. Necessary Covid-19 precautions are being followed including sanitizer dispensers at key points and entrance areas, distribution of disposable surgical masks throughout the venues, and availability of travel packs of sanitizers at the stages, press rooms, delegate lounge, interaction areas, and conference rooms.

The Festival Bazaar this year is a completely cashless experience in order to minimize the spread of the notorious Coronavirus. Camel milk-based Aadvik Foods products is one of the brands on board this year showcasing its vast range of Camel milk-based chocolates, freeze-dried raw Camel milk powder, Camel milk ghee, Camel milk powder, and Camel colostrum. Tribes India is also displaying its range of traditional arts, crafts, and food products at multiple stalls across the Bazaar. Designer Anam Husain displayed her clothing range, along with Mumbai-based clean protein bar and muesli manufacturer The Whole Truth Foods. The Popular Delhi-based cafe Brown Sugar’s stall offers a scrumptious range of delicacies, along with many other local brands and NGOs showcasing their wares.

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A live art session at Jaipur Literature Festival 2022. Photo IPP

Full Circle has an exclusive stall at JLF 2022 replete with special corners featuring the books by the speakers of the day along with others participating in the hybrid event. There is also an exclusive author-signing area outside the store which gives visitors a chance to interact with literary greats and get their copies signed.

Crowds have turned up in droves from the Pink city as well as adjoining states and the far-flung corners of the country alike – to engage in the literary banter and fumes after the drought of the pandemic. Authors, at large, are again happily interacting with their readers and promoting their books.

The JLF 2022 physical edition has seen international participation from the cultural counselors and mavens of several embassies including Canada, Britain, and Italy. Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, and many local and national dailies and magazines such as The Week have helped in sponsoring many of the sessions. The JLF manifestation has made many in the literary community and landscape immensely happy for the opportunity to take part in a face-to-face or in-person event after a long time. Watch this space for more!

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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