5 takeaways from Jaipur Literary fest for PR pros from Anup Sharma

 24th January 2017    PR News 

The Jaipur Literary Festival is the year’s most attended event, packed with literary stars of all kinds! PR consultant and restless traveler, Anup Sharma, who is attending his 6th festival at Jaipur, picks some of his favourite takeaways for PR pros from the festival.

1. Always talk the language of the people!

Former AP journalist, Neelesh Misra who has now set up a rural newspaper called ‘Gaon Connection’ said that people love to see a story from their point of view. Speaking at a session at Jaipur Lit Fest called ‘The Kahani connection: Stories of my Stories”, Mishra said that it’s important to talk in the language of the people.

Neelesh Misra in conversation with journalist Rahul Pandita

2. Why social reality is not the same as social media!

In a well-attended debate on “We are living in a Post-Truth World”, moderated by Barkha Dutt, adman and lyricist, Prasoon Joshi said that the social reality of a place comes out through social media. Joshi said that different realities are getting expressed through social media and we must accept their validity.

Google has democratized knowledge: Prasoon Joshi at Jaipur Literary Fest, 2017

3. Bias in storytelling matters: Truth and the newsroom

In a session titled, “Truth and the Newsroom”, journalists raised the issue of bias, saying whether you are narrating facts or stories; bias or filters exist for every writer or journalist.

Senior Zee TV journalist Sudhir Chaudhary (seen above), said, rather bluntly, that when sales teams entered the newsroom, that’s when news got abused.

4. Be ready to change the storyline!

Speaking on narratives from a filmmaker’s perspective in ‘The Art of Screenplay’, the advice is “Be ready to change your screenplay” at the behest of stars and studios. The takeaway for PR professionals here is to be open to adapting to new narratives.

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali at the Jaipur Lit Fest

5. History can be rewritten: A brand can be retold

In a session titled, “Rewriting History: The art of historical fiction”, panelists talked about the importance of retelling stories from fresh perspectives. An important lesson for communicators trying to reposition a brand.

Glimpses of the Jaipur Literary Fest in pictures

Retelling old tales. Vikram and Vetal props await to tell their tale again to a new audience of children:

Print media thrives in India! A group of policemen reading their papers at the festival:

An artistic ride at an arty festival: