Jaipur BookMark 2025: AI, Tamil Publishing, and the Future of Literature Took Center Stage

The fourth day of Jaipur BookMark (JBM) 2025, India’s premier publishing conclave held alongside the Jaipur Literature Festival, was packed with dynamic discussions on emerging trends in publishing, the role of AI, passion-driven projects, and the evolving presence of women in Tamil literature. The day culminated with an Indian Language Publishers’ Roundtable, where industry leaders explored the challenges and opportunities in multilingual publishing.

Editors Discussed the Future of Publishing in India

Day 3 of JBM had wrapped up with an Editors’ Roundtable, moderated by Arunava Sinha, featuring some of India’s most influential publishing professionals, including Amrita Talwar, Chiragh Thakkar, Elizabeth Kuruvilla, Karthika VK, Manoj Satti, Moutushi Mukherjee, Rahul Dixit, and Sushant Jha.

• Mukherjee highlighted the growing international recognition of Indian authors, celebrating the increasing global appetite for South Asian literature.
• VK expressed optimism about publishing novels in multiple Indian languages, noting the rising demand for regional storytelling.
• Dixit raised concerns over the challenges faced by debut authors, emphasizing that rising production costs have made publishing new voices a risky venture.

Despite the concerns, the panel remained hopeful about the future of Indian publishing, agreeing that the booming popularity of literature festivals could provide greater platforms to promote emerging writers.

Anand Gandhi and Vinay Shukla on Politics, Gaming, and Filmmaking

The fourth day began with a lively discussion featuring filmmaker Anand Gandhi and game developer Vinay Shukla, moderated by Hemali Sodhi. The duo reflected on their creative process, the making of their critically acclaimed film An Insignificant Man, and their journey into game design with ‘Shasn’, one of India’s most popular board games.

• Gandhi credited his mother’s love for pop culture as the foundation of his storytelling journey.
• Shukla humorously described himself as “mediocre at everything” until winning a short film competition judged by Gandhi, which launched his career.
• ‘Shasn’ was conceived as a political strategy game, designed to encourage players to rethink their perspectives on power and governance.

Passion Projects: When Books Become Personal Journeys

In the session ‘Passion Projects: Books Distilled with Love’, a panel of authors shared how personal experiences evolved into deeply immersive storytelling:

• MK Ranjitsinh spoke about his spiritual connection with mountains and nature.
• Bandeep Singh discussed his documentation of Naga Sadhus and their rituals.
• Ramya Reddy explained how her research on Nilgiri tribal communities developed into a cultural preservation project.

Each speaker emphasized the importance of writing with authenticity, showcasing how passion fuels groundbreaking literary works.

Tamil Publishing’s New Wave of Women Writers and Translators

One of the most inspiring discussions of the day was ‘Putiya Katru: The Fresh Breeze in Tamil Publishing’, presented by Kalachuvadu. The session featured Ival Bharathi, Gayathri Ramasubramanian, and Nivedita Louis in conversation with Kannan Sundaram, and explored:

• The growing number of women writers and publishers in Tamil literature, challenging traditional industry norms.
• The personal journeys of Tamil publishers, many of whom left stable jobs to pursue their literary dreams.
• The increasing importance of translations, making Tamil literary treasures accessible to wider audiences.

The speakers agreed that regional publishing is at a pivotal moment, with a stronger push for diverse voices and a renewed focus on global readership.

Indian Language Publishers Addressed Industry-Wide Challenges

The day ended with a powerful discussion at the Indian Language Publishers’ Roundtable, featuring Ashok Maheshwari, Govind Deecee, Harsha Bhatkal, Jai Prakash Pandey, Jeeva Karikalan, Kannan Sundaram, Nivedita Louis, Vasudhendra, and Vishal Soni, moderated by Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal.

The panel covered:

• Challenges in distribution and marketing for regional publishers.
• The demand for digital publishing solutions to bridge language gaps.
• How literature festivals and translation initiatives can amplify voices from regional languages.