The Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum plans to launch a bimonthly book club from May, adding to the host of activities organised by the cultural centre in the city.
This is the centre doing its bit to counter the diminishing quality and frequency of reading literature, officials at Alliance Francaise say. The platform will be used to discuss a range of subjects. Participants can share their reading experience by presenting their thoughts on a particular novel and excerpts from a piece of fiction or poetry. Retrospective segments focussing on the evolution of work by one particular author will also be part of the initiative. It will be chance for readers to discover new books and writers, be it in Malayalam, English or French.
The inaugural session is scheduled at the Alliance Francaise Library, near the Forest Office at Vazhuthcaud, at 5.30 p.m. on May 15.
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The key characteristic of the book club will be its flexibility, to ensure a relaxed environment for the participants without having to adhere to any strict schedule, say the officials. The programme is open to the public.
The cultural centre, in association with Pallium India, will be presenting an exhibition of creations by patients treated by the palliative care organisation from April 26 to 30 at the Alliance Francaise art gallery. Titled ‘Desert Rose,’ the exhibition is intended to showcase the talent of patients as part of Pallium India’s focus to offer vocational rehabilitation to people suffering from debilitating illnesses. “It is an attempt to bring back them back into the mainstream after the trauma they have undergone,” says a press release.
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Sameer, a patient under the care of Pallium India, will inaugurate the exhibition at 11 a.m. on April 26. The inauguration will be followed by a talk and the screening of a documentary on palliative care.