The fourth day of the Krithi International Book Festival here saw thousands of people, braving the scorching sun, visiting festival stalls and participating in various events including book releases and a memorable Kathakali performance by Kalamandalam Gopi.
The organisers said that Sunday saw the largest number of visitors after the festival was opened on Thursday. The footfall increased substantially in the afternoon.
According to them, around a lakh visitors visited the stalls over the last three days. The number of visitors crossed 80,000 on Sunday. Krithi is an event where books have caught the imagination of the people once again, an organiser said. The space given to small publishing houses is also an important aspect of the festival, he added.
Book releases
The book releases that stood out on Sunday included those by young authors. One was a collection of poems by Sherin Mary Zachariah, while the other was a collection of fairy tales by Amisha Roy. The two books stand out for various reasons. Poet K. Satchidanandan released the book Moonlight written by 16-year-old Sherin, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. But that has not stopped her from being a great communicator and an inspiration for others.
The Dazzlings and the Favourite Winter Coat is a collection of tales by Amisha Roy for those aged between seven and 12. It has been illustrated by Mythri Babu, a student of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Amisha is a ninth grade student in the UAE. What is remarkable about the book is that it has been published on the concept of Copyleft, which allows free access to the book to everyone provided it is not leveraged for commercial purposes.
New-age writers
The book fair has been providing a platform for new-age writers and publishers. A discussion was organised by Prayukthi, a newly-founded conversation lab in the city which aims to make everyday conversations more meaningful. Authors Ajith Kumar and Priya Velayudhan, Timeline Publishing co-founder Akhil Ramesh, journalist Anubha George, and Prayukthi co-founder Alen Tom participated in the discussion. For details, one may contact Alan at 9539053890.
