It is that time of the year again in Kozhikode city when the magnificent main beach on its western side throbs with arts, culture and literature for four days.
The Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), said to be the second-largest such gathering of writers and cultural activists in Asia, will begin on Thursday.
This year, the event is being held at a time when the State’s social, cultural and political milieu is undergoing a churning like never before. The year just passed by was beset with challenges on all fronts, the first among them being the Nipah outbreak, initially reported from Kozhikode. Soon after the public health system successfully contained it, came the protests against some remarks in S. Hareesh’s debut novel Meesha.
Polarisation
Just when everyone thought that the polarisation it led to got washed away in the people’s unity that manifested after the devastating floods in August, a Supreme Court order on Sabarimala upset the social fabric again. Arguments and counter arguments over the court order and its fallouts are still continuing and the State just witnessed one of the worst forms of political violence last week when those opposing the judicial decree took to streets. “The KLF this time will be a platform that will creatively respond to the changed political, social, and cultural conditions of Kerala,” A.K. Abdul Hakeem, general convener of the organising committee, told The Hindu on Wednesday. Writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair will open the festival in the evening. On the list of speakers are historian Ramachandra Guha, author-parliamentarian Shashi Tharoor, and activist-academic Anand Teltumbde, who will talk on Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and B.R. Ambedkar, respectively, on the theme ‘Makers of modern India.’ Sunny M. Kapikkad, Sunil P. Elayidom, and K.M. Anil will deliver lectures on ‘Makers of modern Kerala.’
From Wales
Literature from Wales is being featured in the ‘guest nation’ series.
Writers from Maharashtra and northeastern States will highlight the rich culture from their region.
The event is organised by the D.C. Kizhakemuri Foundation and supported by the Department of Culture.
