Oprah Winfrey, the host of the award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show entertained, enlightened and uplifted millions of viewers for 25 years.
Here comes the Talk Show Queen-Oprah Winfrey on the third day of Jaipur Literature Festival.
She looked rather affable in her green floral silk kurta/pant with pink dupatta ensemble.
Sanjoy Roy introduced the session – Oprah Winfrey in conversation with Barkha Dutt .
Barkha calls Oprah the most loved, influential person on TV. Lots of adoring inflated rhetoric. Oprah praised Barkha for doing her opening bit without teleprompter and appreciated her flattering introduction.
The crowd was listening to every word she uttered. Ranging, from life to work, culture, women, marriage, traffic, music and books everything was here in the conversation.
She was very much touched by the underlying Indian traditions. She said “People don’t talk religion inIndia, they live it”.
She gets the sense of how glorious it is that this is a country that has no respect for nursing homes (because children take care of their parents). On that family note Oprah shared an incidence where she asked Abhishek Bachchan .”You live with your parents, what is it??” Abhishek replied “You guys don’t, we Indians take care of our family”
She satirically commented on the Indian traffic System by asking whether these lights are for entertainment purpose. However, with the promise of coming back toIndiaagain, Oprah quoted, “when you are in the heart of India, it’s so big with so much of diversity. I feel so much enriched.” On that Barkha joked on giving her a job!
Oprah then spoke on the empowerment of women, specially widows and young girls by educating them. She emphasized on eradicating discrimination against widows. The way she de-stings that is by saying this is not justIndia. “Am sure it happens to women around the world as in upper class women get invited less to party when husband dies. As if death is contagious” Being brought up in such discrimination, Oprah gave voice to all the under privileged. She raised the excitement in audience by saying “you have to speak for yourself, when you’re excellent, people notice. Always be the best even if you’re flipping fries at McDonald’s.”
Oprah Winfrey spoke about reading- Tony Morrison is her favorite author, Beloved is her favorite book and she is running her own book club inU.S.A.!
Oprah sounds more like a self-help guru than a talk show host. But what’s nice is about altruism as a path to happiness. Well, once she was told by Nelson Mandela to listen also, not just talk! (She is supposed to be lot chatty)
Oprah took over the show by asking the audience how can you text and drive in India when people don’t obey the red light. “Internet addiction is just like any other alcohol or drug addiction, it keeps you away from books”
Asked on her views on USA President, Oprah Said “Obama should remain in office as a President, his next 4 years would be even better”
Finally the question about marriage! Without which every celebrity session is incomplete inIndia.
To which she charmingly replied, “I have great respect for marriage and admiration for way women are being able to be married, arranged marriage and now we are in a love marriage…arrange marriage would be hard for me.”
“I am too old now for marriage?” NO screams crowd…….
Jaipur Beat 