Crossword powers Jaipur lit fest with a high-energy bookshop comeback

MUMBAI: Crossword Bookstores is returning to the Jaipur Literature Festival as its official bookstore partner, turning the 19th edition of the world-famous literary gathering into a full-throttle retail-and-reader campaign.

The chain will run a pop-up bookshop across the festival grounds, stocking titles by participating writers, festival picks and evergreen classics, alongside signings and reader-meets designed to convert footfall into sales and fandom. Authors scheduled for in-person engagement include Banu Mushtaq, Vir Das, Kiran Desai, Rujuta Diwekar, Javed Akhtar, Gaur Gopal Das and Viswanathan Anand.

“As Jaipur Literature Festival marks its 19th edition, we are proud to once again partner a platform that champions ideas and dialogue at a global scale,” said Crossword Bookstores CEO Aakash Gupta. “It reflects our shared belief in the power of books to spark conversation and connect cultures.”

The 2026 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival will bring together award-winning authors, thinkers, poets, journalists and debut voices from around the world, with sessions spanning literature, politics, history, science and culture, alongside music and cultural showcases.