The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), well attended by the crème de la crème of the literary world, is also surprisingly accessible to students on a shoestring budget. Free entry to the festival is possibly one of the most important factors that draws throngs to the festival.
If you’re attending JLF this year, here’s how you can have a good time in the Pink City, flout your jholas and nehru jackets (while at JLF, it may be nice to play the part of an intellectual), and laugh at intelligent wisecracks, all on a student budget.
Transport
If you’re feeling extravagant, you may want to take the double-decker train from Delhi to Jaipur, simply because a double-decker train sounds like fun. However, if you’re looking to cut down on the cost, a non-AC sleeper will suffice. Alternatively, an RSRTC bus ticket will cost you around the same amount as a non-AC sleeper.
Accommodation
The fact that Rajasthan attracts a huge number of tourists every year, even from abroad, gives us the added advantage of a good array of hostels for backpackers. These hostels offer dorms (mixed bed dorms/female only) at rates that don’t burn holes in your not-too-deep pocket. Most come equipped with lockers, a kitchen, and some graffiti on the walls to boot. Bathrooms are to be shared. Some also offer single rooms with twin beds, but that will work out to be more expensive than a bed in a dorm. You can do without air conditioning in Jaipur in January, if an AC room is out of your budget.
You may want to orient yourself around the Diggi Palace (Shivaji Marg) keeping in mind that you will be spending most of your time there. The closer you are, the less you will have to pay on transport to and from the festival venue. Here are some options you could consider. Rates may vary depending on whether you choose a mixed bed dorm or a female only dorm.
Backpacker Panda
Rs. 349-Rs. 599 per bed, per night
Opp. Om Tower, MI Road, Jaipur-302001
1.5 kms (5 minutes) from Diggi Palace
Le Pension Backpackers’ Guest House
Rs. 300-Rs. 350 per bed, per night
K-94, behind dana pani restaurant Kishan Nagar, Kishan Nagar, Shyam Nagar, Jaipur-302019
7.7 kms (16 minutes) from Diggi Palace
Zostel Jaipur
Rs. 500-Rs. 600 per bed, per night
First Floor, 85-A, Rajamal Ka Talab, ICICIi Bank Building, Chandi ki Taksal, Opposite Tourist Police Station, Jaipur- 302002
Crashpad
Rs.200-Rs. 300 per bed, per night
B-20, Shiv Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur- 302016
4.5 km (12 minutes) from Diggi Palace
Roadhouse Hostel
Rs. 499-Rs. 569 per bed, per night
D-76, Shiv Heera Path, Chomu House Circle, C Scheme, Prithviraj Road, Jaipur-302001
2 kms (5 minutes) from Diggi Palace
Doodle Rack
Rs. 379 per bed, per night
33, Civil Lines Road, Suraj Nagar, Civil Lines, Jaipur-302006
4.6 kms (11 minutes) from Diggi Palace
Food
You will find several stalls within the festival venue, at different prices, ensuring that you need not step outside the venue or miss important speakers in the process. You may also sample the street food in Jaipur (read kachoris, parathas, lal maas). MI Road in particular, has a couple of places that remain open from early in the morning to late at night, if you’re staying around the area and are looking for a bite to eat.
To know more about Jaipur Litfest 2017, read – https://dubeat.com/2016/12/jaipur-literature-festival-a-literary-wonder/
Image Credits: Abhinaya Harigovind
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