Shashi Tharoor Headlines JLF Los Angeles Debut
India-West News Desk
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Jaipur Literature Festival made its Los Angeles debut this week, bringing writers, artists, historians, diplomats and cultural figures together for conversations spanning literature, culture, geopolitics, technology and the arts.
The Los Angeles edition, held September 14-16 at the ASU California Center Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, marked the festival’s first appearance in the city. The 2026 JLF USA program expanded to six U.S. cities, with Los Angeles added to editions in North Carolina, Seattle, Colorado, New York and Houston.
The downtown venue, the former Herald Examiner Building at 1111 S. Broadway, provided the setting for the three-day program.
The opening evening featured Consul General of India in Los Angeles Dr. K. J. Srinivasa as keynote speaker. Johnny Figel of the American India Foundation; Sanjoy Roy and Suraj Dhingra of Teamwork Arts; Tim Disney from 2413 Hyperion; and Megha Kadakia were the others featured.
There were also photography, film and social-impact conversations. Photographer Vicky Roy, producer Mauktik Kulkarni and social-impact leader V. R. Ferose took part in a discussion titled “Framing Hope,” held alongside an exhibition of Roy’s photography.
Roy’s story provided one of the evening’s central themes. His journey from the streets of Delhi to photographing the reconstruction of the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks has also become the basis for ‘Street Dreams,’ a forthcoming film about his life. The festival described the conversation as an exploration of resilience, memory and hope.
The festival’s second day shifted more directly into international affairs, with author, politician and former diplomat Shashi Tharoor delivering a keynote on the changing world order.
Tharoor spoke in conversation with Kal Raustiala, director of the UCLA Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations. The program examined the changing position of the United States in global affairs and the implications for India and other powers. UCLA’s Burkle Center described the event as a preview of the 2027 JLF Los Angeles, which is planned as a weeklong international edition.
The discussion was followed by a panel moderated by foreign policy columnist Seema Sirohi, with Harvard historian Caroline Elkins, former U.S. Ambassador Nina Hachigian and writer Viet Thanh Nguyen. Their discussion ranged across empire, historical memory and American identity.
Tharoor’s appearance in Los Angeles came shortly after his participation in JLF’s Raleigh edition in North Carolina. In a post about that festival, Tharoor said he met North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and First Lady Anna Harris Stein, who attended his session. He also mentioned state Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, one of the supporters of the Raleigh festival.
Music was another part of the programming. The Aditya Prakash Ensemble, featuring Aditya Prakash, Vishnu R. and Chris Votek, performed a combination of Karnatik vocals, nine-string Navtar and cello, bringing an improvisational musical element to the evening.
Hindustani vocalist Neha Jetley, with the music of Bappa B. Lahiri, reimagined four timeless classics for a contemporary audience. From the intimacy of ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’ and ‘Ranjish Hi Sahi’ to the introspection of ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho.’
Las Colibrí, described by the festival as “The Hummingbirds,” also performed, drawing on mariachi traditions and adding a Mexican American musical dimension to the Los Angeles program.
The Los Angeles event was co-presented with Zócalo Public Square and the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations, with Teamwork Arts producing the festival. The program was billed as a preview of the 2027 Los Angeles edition, with the central question framed as “What Is the New World Order?”
