New Delhi: Publishers, editors, festival directors, and cultural leaders took the centre stage on the fifth day of BluOne Ink presents Jaipur BookMark, South Asia’s leading publishing conclave, held alongside the Jaipur Literature Festival.
The 13th edition concluded with Redefining Bestsellers: What Is Selling in the Indian Markets. The session brought together Anirudh Chakravartty, Milee Ashwarya, Saksham Garg, Shailesh Bharatwasi, and Swati Chopra in conversation with Mita Kapur and examined how bestsellers are shaped in today’s publishing landscape.
The panel explored differences in publishing strategies for debut and established authors, and marketing approaches, from social media visibility to the role of booksellers, retailers, and online platforms in giving a book longevity. The session also touched on piracy, short-run digital printing, the growing focus on regional and ‘new Hindi’ publishing, and the challenge of converting online attention into sustained sales.
Introduced by Namita Gokhale and presented by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation, Indology: Shades and Layers of a Civilisation featured a deep dive into India’s cultural history with scholars R. Balakrishnan and T.S. Saravanan. The discussion emphasised that language is vital to understanding India's heritage, acting as a record of historical battles won and lost.
The speakers explored the Indus Valley Civilisation, Sangam literature, and the Dravidian cultural footprint. Balakrishnan likened India to a "rainforest" of diversity. They explained how history remains frozen in names, such as those brought to the land by the Parsi community. They also shared observations of "Indus Pongal" in Tamil Nadu, where motifs from the Indus Valley appear in traditional rangoli. The discourse spanned the migration of history, food, and philosophy.
The conclave culminated with the Festival Directors’ Roundtable, which brought together Anjani Raipat, Biswadip Chakraborty, Chandni Chowdhary, Janet DeNeefe, Govind Deecee, Hannah Curtis, Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, Mastura Muhamad, Julie Finch, Laura Mannering, Lavinia Frey and Shubha Sanjay Urs in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy to examine the complex realities of organising literature festivals today. The discussion explored how festivals operate at the intersection of culture, politics and public discourse, and the challenges of balancing artistic freedom with sponsorships, government relationships and local, national and international sensitivities.
As BluOne Ink presents Jaipur BookMark 2026, which concluded, the final day reaffirmed the platform’s role as a vital meeting ground for the global publishing community—fostering dialogue, collaboration, and shared responsibility in shaping the future of books, ideas, and cultural engagement.
