WARNING: BLISS OVERLOAD

I've been trying to work out how to explain in words what's going on all around me.

You may have noticed that I'm having a rather overwhelming time in India. That I'm brimming over with platitudes and enthusiasm. Sorry about that but I can't help it. Tough.

Only continue reading if you're ready for more.

It's hard to portray the depth of feeling here at this festival. At this time. It feels rather like history is being made, but I may be going overboard.

It's only been two days but I feel like I've been taken to places that I only dreamt about. And there are three more days to be savoured. That magic number 3. It seems to figure constantly in my life. But I digress.

The Jaipur Literary Festival has become a home for the most incredible array of people. It's the most diverse mixture of intelligensia and vagabonds I've ever encountered. As I write this, an Israeli band is performing the most beautiful music on the front lawn of the Diggi Palace. A palace filled with love and peace is the mission.

A Pakistani musician called Junoon just jammed with a Rajasthani drummer and the crowd went wild. I was racing about trying to sort out delegate passes for some artists and decided it was time to sit down after an intense two days of running the main hall here. The Durbar Hall is my most welcome ball and chain.

I'm not sure how I was moved from blogger to hosting the main venue for the festival but I'm humbled and privileged by the task. It's intense to say the least. The place is heaving with the most incredible intellectuals and I'm introducing authors. I'm introducing Oscar nominees for god's sake!!!!

Gulzar is India's most famous and beloved poet (that's him in white). Yesterday I had to tell his audience that we were out of time and that we had to wrap up. Five, or was it 10 times. People were fighting to get inside the venue I'm running, with the incredible support of the diminutive Avani. We are such a team.


He has just received an Oscar nomination for the song that he wrote the words for Slumdog Millionaire. My favourite film of 2008. The film that swept the BIFAs and now the Golden Globes and now has 10 Oscar nominations. It's screening here tomorrow night. Tomorrow is going to be nuts.

Amitabh Bachchan is coming. If you can imagine the biggest star of the western celebrity infirmament, then times it by 100. Seriously. That's who's turning up tomorrow at our festival. He is a god here. He is India's biggest star and he's a god. He can cross every age and class barrier here in terms of adulation. That is quite a feat.

I am sitting with 3 people now who are working at the festival. We've just been debating how the adoration of Amitabh differs from ANY western celebrity. I don't think I can eloquently relay what was just shared with me, but believe me. Tomorrow we're going to see crowds and hysteria that are terrifying. [By the way, that's Avani on the left and Krytika on the right.]

At Gulzar's poetry reading, I saw a press photographer who was talking on his mobile, that I told to shut the fuck up (very nicely mind you) almost come to blows with a woman who was trying to help me shut him up. We had to lock the doors as people were rushing the doors and getting into fights.

This is the same Gulzar, who just wandered into the office I'm writing this from and used our loo. I apologised to him as he came out, for cutting his session off and said that even though I don't speak Hindi, I could feel the love from him and his audience and that I loved every minute. Can you believe he said to me, "I saw you and I could see that you were understanding every word"!?!? What a class act.

One more gushing story and I'll leave the rest for a post mortem as I'm working my way through a bottle of wine and haven't eaten and it's almost 11pm but I just had to share something with you.

My incredible friend and ex-boss, Martha Fiennes, introduced me to William Dalrymple and therefore it's because of her and various wonderful connections, (Constance is cousins with his wife Olive and they're friends of my cousins Charlie Burrell and his wife Issy who is Martha's great friend and a wonderful travel writer...), that I'm here.

Anyway, Martha also introduced me via email to Aradhana Seth who is Vikram's sister and a great friend of Willy's. They made documentaries for the BBC together and although Martha and her never met, she sent me her email. So Aradhana and I have been emailing since I left London, sporadically.

Tonight when Junoon went on stage, I tried to go and join my Bengali friends at their table but all the seats were taken. I asked about 5 or 6 people if the chairs next to them were free and they all said no until I asked a wizened, gorgeous old woman. She motitoned for me to take the chair next to her. I tried to pick it up, thinking I'd take it back to the Bengali table where my new friends Duniya, Mimlu and Paban were sitting with their friends, but the chair was stuck under hers. So I sat. As the music was divine and she had such a warm face.

Someone brought her a red wine. I was jealous. She leant across and told me that the man who had brought it was India's top heart doctor. I smiled and we swayed to the music. She apologised for having wine when I didn't. I was a little jealous, but what can you do?

I saw a waiter a few moments later and tried to catch him. I had to race half way across the lawn. The demand for seats was so intense by now, when I came back, she'd used her umbrella to save it for me. I sat back down and within a few minutes, her daugher arrived to check on her. As we were sitting so close together, due to the conjoined chairs, her daughter introduced herself. Aradhana Seth.

I had sat down next to Leila Seth. When Aradhana heard my name, she asked if I was the same Laura she'd been emailing with. Yes. That's me.

Leila pushed her son off the bestsellers list with her one and only book. Her autobiography. I promised to buy it tomorrow. I can't wait to read it.

On the live feed, Willy and Olive Dalrymple appeared. They were up the front of the concert clapping and singing. I pointed to them and said, "They are the reason I'm here. Do you know them?" Turns out that Willy D calls Aradhana his Mother Superior and has known the Seth's for 15 years. Here's me, having known them for less than a week, introducing them to Leila Seth.

What a world. What a world. I can't go on anymore. It's now 11.11pm and I have drunk half a bottle of wine (at least) and I should have some dinner. Forgive me. I will write again soon. But it might be after the festival finishes.

This place, this country, the people. It's all love. It's crazy, fucked up, heavenly, corrupt and insane. But it's pure. In a way that's hard to portray.

All I know is that I'm in heaven. And I'm so blessed to be able to share it with you. Now.
But now, I must eat.
More soon.
Lxxxxx

P.S. I'm too tired to edit this. Forgive any errors and over-the-topness.