The third day of the 5th DSC Jaipur Literature Festival was indeed the epicenter of literary  confluence with over 18,000 literary lovers come together at the Diggi Palace. The key highlight of the day was the visit of Oprah Winfrey to the festival.

Oprah said ‘I have not just had my mind opened but an expanded heart as a result of being in India, because I am at the centre of something greater than myself, and that my trip has been ‘one of the greatest, if not the greatest life experience that I have ever have.’ She promised the festival audience that she would come back, as there was more and more to see and understand. She added, ‘I held it as my vision’ to come to India for the last three years, and I love ‘the sense of calmness,’ ‘a sense of karma: people don’t just talk religion here, they live it,’ and ‘the sense of family tradition’ so evident in this country.”

She talked movingly about her work with children and women, talking of how profoundly she was affected by the situation of widows in India, and how she hoped there would be a shift in consciousness towards them.

She talked of the value of education so that people have choices, and her work in building a Leadership Academy for girls in Africa, saying how important it is to give whatever you have, so that the energy of yourself goes out into the world. She also talked about how she had been inspired to start a Book Club, because ‘I love to read.’ Her book club promotes both modern literature and the classics that Oprah personally recommends. (Source JLF)