Kerala Literature Festival to host 8 countries, over 400 speakers

PTI, Dec 14, 2023, 12:48 PM IST

Months after UNESCO declared Kozhikode in Kerala as the ‘City of Literature’, it will now host over 400 speakers from across the world with Turkey being the guest country of honour at the upcoming Kerala Literature Festival in January.

The grand celebration of literature will be held at the sandy shores of Kozhikode from January 11.

The four-day festival, organised by DC Kizhakemuri Foundation and co-promoted by DC Books, will witness an array of authors, actors, thinkers, and activists participating in discussions on a range of topics, including science and technology, literature, art, gender, cinema, culture and environment.

The literary gala will host guests like Gurcharan Das, Perumal Murugan, Jerry Pinto, Preeti Shinoy, actor Prakash Raj, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, adman Piyush Pandey, and Congress MP and writer Shashi Tharoor among others.

Speaking at a curtain raiser, hosted by Tharoor, in the national capital on Tuesday, Ravi Deecee, chief facilitator, Kerala Literature Festival said that the festival has been committed to “spotlighting India’s remarkable literary talent on the global stage, bringing together some of the world’s most exceptional storytellers”.

“KLF has truly flourished over the years, transforming into one of the leading literature festivals in the region. This upcoming edition promises to be the most spectacular one yet…Let’s join hands for this special journey, crossing boundaries and crafting narratives that resonate with the essence of our shared human experience.” Deecee said.

Other names to participate at KLF will include Mallika Sarabhai, P Sainath, Anita Nair, Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Vivek Shanbhag, VJ James, KR Meera, Sheela Tomy, and Benyamin. While countries like the UK, Wales, Spain, Japan, USA, Malaysia, Spain, and France will be participating in the “truly global celebration of literature and culture”, Turkey will celebrate their 100 years of republic at KLF and will be represented through music, dance, food and various art forms, the organisers said.

The festival will also feature a performance by more than 25 “original Sufi dancers” from Konya, the city in Turkey where poet Rumi is buried. Concerts by carnatic legends such as TM Krishna and Vikku Vinayakram, along with surbahar and sitar concert by Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjee will also be a part of the festival.