The sessions filling the first slot seemed largely dull so we milled around, looking at the exorbitantly priced things on sale – books, handicrafts, clothes, food. Our impoverished student status firmly ascertained, we headed to Rajnigandha Front Lawns for a talk titled ‘Wanderlust and the Art of Travel Writing’ with Paul Theroux, Charles Glass, Samanth Subramanian, Sam Miller, Brigid Keenan and William Dalrymple.
Picture everyone looking mildly crazed among a riot of green, blue, yellow tents of varying sizes and striding purposefully to communicate changes (due to the unseasonal rain showers) to co-workers and visitors, many clutching their expensive electronics to shield them from water damage. You now have a fairly accurate mental picture of Day 2 of JLF 2015.