About JLF London 2025: Wordplay – Indian, English and Indian English
JLF London 2025 – the London edition of the world-renowned Jaipur Literature Festival – launches with a special and lively session devoted to the English language and its Indian evolution.
The evening begins with opening remarks from the JLF Directors and special guests after which we are joined by politician, writer and wordsmith Shashi Tharoor and Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, to take us on a journey through the curious wonderland of English, a language full of wonder, wit, and anomalies and often considered to be the most widely spoken in the world.
They unpick the puzzles of punctuation, the quirks of spelling and grammar, and focus especially on the layered history of Indian English. With over 130 million speakers, India ranks as the second-largest English-speaking nation, and a place where the language was not only adopted, but got a new voice.
Book here for Wordplay –Indian, English and Indian English, to attend in person or to watch the livestream.
This session is not included in JLF London 2025 Weekend or Day Passes, which can be booked here.
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Attending your events
This event will take place in the British Library Knowledge Centre and is also available to watch online. Tickets may be booked to attend in person, or to watch on our platform either live or during the next 7 days on catch up. If you book an online ticket, you will receive the viewing link on the morning of the event.
If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk
Concessions
There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.
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