Ukraine was officially represented at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2026 (January 15-18, 2026), alongside Austria, as part of a joint Austrian-Ukrainian cultural presence.
Representing Ukraine, contemporary Ukrainian poet Yuliya Musakovska took part in two festival sessions. During a poetry reading, she presented English-language poems written during wartime, including texts from her collection The God of Freedom, offering the audience a direct and deeply human insight into experience of war, resilience, and freedom.
The festival also featured a Ukrainian–Austrian literary conversation between Yuliya Musakovska and Austrian poet Andreas Unterweger, focusing on contemporary poetry, language, and literature as a space of dialogue across borders and experiences. The session was moderated by Asad Lalljee, an Indian journalist and Curator of the Royal Opera House, Mumbai.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the festival organisers, Teamwork Arts, for including Ukraine in the festival programme. We particularly thank Mr. Sanjoy K. Roy and the wonderful Teamwork Arts team, in particular Ms. Kritika Gupta and Ms. Yamini, for their openness, professionalism, and attentive support. Special thanks as well to Mr. Vikas Tanwir from the Teamwork Arts media team for the wonderful photographs.
The joint Austrian–Ukrainian presence and public programme were implemented within the framework of understandings between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Austria and Ukraine on supporting Austrian–Ukrainian cultural projects in India.
We thank the Austrian Embassy in India and the Austrian Cultural Forum New Delhi and Ukrainian Institute for their partnership, key organisational support, and continued cooperation. We particularly acknowledge the contribution of the Head of the Austrian Cultural Forum in New Delhi, Mr. Michael Pal, as well as the coordinator, Mr. Rishabh Kurseja.
We also thank Mr. Murtaza Ali Khan — film critic and journalist, curator of the Austrian–Ukrainian cultural project — for curating and supporting the Ukrainian–Austrian programme, as well as for media support and publications that helped broaden coverage of the joint programme.