Curtains came down on the third edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) in Kozhikode on Sunday. Many voices of dissent and fresh ideas evolved during the four days of deliberations and debates marked by massive public participation. The four stages on Kozhikode Beach will come alive again on January 10, 2019 for the next edition of the festival.
The final day of the festival was marked by the presence of writers such as Antara Dev Sen, Shobhaa De, Alan Titley and Anand Neelakantan, and political leaders M.A. Baby, Kanam Rajendran and Binoy Viswam.
The day started with a discussion on social media activism and the path it was taking while the influence of Soviet literature on Malayalam was the topic for discussion at another venue.
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Popular writers of Malayalam who have never been acknowledged by mainstream writers were given their due through a session on popular fiction. The presence of popular writers Kamala Govind and Batten Bose was a novel experience for the readers. Gender disparity on campuses in the State was topic for one of the most popular sessions where student leaders and teachers called for campuses without gender-based divide.
Noted writers Benyamin, T.D. Ramakrishnan, Subhash Chandran, C.V. Balakrishnan and V.J. James were part of the session on the changing landscapes of Malayalam novel. The panel cited the need to adopt themes from all over the world for fiction.
Writer Anand Neelakantan surprised his readers with his down-to-earth style of speaking and conduct. Being the writer of four best sellers in English, he said writers in Malayalam had to focus more on marketing their works.
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Founder of Safari TV Santhosh George Kulangara was the star attraction at the session on travels, also attended by Mangad Ratnakaran, A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish and film-maker Venu.
The festival concluded with a Ghazal concert by Rakhi Chatterjee.