History, timeline
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| Kerala Literature Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Literary festival |
| Dates | 12 to 15 Jan, 2023 |
| Location(s) | Kozhikode Beach, Kerala, India |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Patron(s) | DC Kizhakkemuri Foundation |
| Website | http://www.keralaliteraturefestival.com/ |
Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), founded in 2016, is an annual literary festival held on the beaches of Kozhikode, Kerala, India. The Festival on the beach is a non-aligned platform, committed to providing an open and liberal forums for debates and discussion to foster progressive discourses. The sixth edition of KLF is scheduled for 2023 January 12–15. Kerala Literature Festival is organized by the DC Kizhakemuri Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded in 2001 as a tribute to late D.C. Kizhakemuri a freedom fighter, social activist, writer - publisher considered as the doyen of Indian publishing, and known as the father of paperback revolution in India, who took books to the masses. He was instrumental in the abolishment of sales tax on books. Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) is endorsed and supported by the Government of Kerala, Kerala Tourism and Culture Department. Renowned poet – critic Prof. K. Satchidanandan is the Festival Director along with Publisher Ravi Deecee of DC Books is the Chief Facilitator. The editorial team of DC Books works closely with KLF on the content.
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The sixth edition of KLF is scheduled from 12- 15 January 2023. The festival is returning to the beaches of Calicut after a two-year hiatus due to pandemic and promises to be grand celebration. KLF will host Nobel Laureates, Oscar winners, Booker Prize recipients and other literary luminaries and celebrities from across the world. More than 400 speakers including bestselling writer Jeffrey Archer, Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Ada Yonath, Piyush Pandey, Francesc Miralles, Geethanjali Shree, Wendy Doniger, Ramachandra Guha, Palanivel Thiagarajan, Sanjeev Sanyal, Anand Neelakantan, Shashi Tharoor, Manu S. Pillai, Prakash Raj, and Shobhaa De will be part of KLF 2023.
The virtual festival was a step towards building international relations during the devastating pandemic. The digital edition also witnessed an International Poetry Festival with over 50 poets from more than 10 countries including Palestine, Israel, South Africa, Italy, United States of America, Ireland. The sessions were premiered on YouTube and Facebook pages. [6]
The fifth edition was held from 16 to 19 January 2020, at Kozhikode Beach, with the presence of artists, actors, celebrities, writers, thinkers, and activists, discussing literature, art, cinema, culture, dance, music, environment, science, and technology. Cultural nights include fireside chats by acts and performing artists from around the world. Speakers at the previous editions include Arundhati Roy, Richard Stallman, Noam Chomsky (Video), Yuval Noah Harari (Video), Sadhguru, Romila Thapar, Ramachandra Guha, Shashi Tharoor, Rakesh Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Chetan Bhagath, Karan Thapar, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sobhaa De and Sagarika Ghose. In addition to literature, topics include environment and climate change. Spain was the guest nation, and Tamil literature was featured. The festival is open to the public and is non-exclusive and an open platform for discussions and idea exchanges. [7]
The fourth edition of the festival was held from 10 to 13 January 2019, at Kozhikode Beach with 500 + renowned authors, discussions, poetry festival, music, dance, movie screenings and photo exhibitions. Wales was chosen as the guest nation. Set in five tracks- Ezhuthola, Aksharam, Thulika , Vaaku, Vellithira. Kijote Kathakali by Ignacio Garcia, Sufi Rock Outfit Alif featuring Ulrike Almut Sandig, Russian Music & Dance, Concert by L Subramaniam, Steffan Donnely performed a bilingual piece of contemporary theater, Qawwali night by Mystic Sufiana Mehfil were some of the defining moments of KLF 2019. Richard Stallman, Yuval Noah Harrari, Shashi Tharoor ,Satish Aalekar, Keki Daruwala, Chetan Bhagat, Caryl Lewis, Ravinder Singh Jeet Thayil attended the festival.
The third edition of the festival was held from 8–11 February 2018, at Kozhikode Beach. KLF 2018 was inaugurated by Arundhati Roy, MT Vasudevan Nair and Prakash Raj. The event was supported by the Kerala State Government and the Kerala Tourism Department, and by the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and the district administration. The Kochi Muziris Biennale was an integral part of the festival. Guest nation for the year was Ireland (represented by Gabriel Rosenstock, Paddy Bushe, Liam Carson, Alan Titley, Amanda Bell, and Conor Kostick). Romila Thapar, Ashis Nandy, Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai, Noam Chomsky, Rishi Kapoor participated.
The second edition of Kerala Literature Festival held from 2–5 February 2017, at Kozhikode Beach. [10] [11]
Noted Malayalam short story writer and novelist Paul Zacharia inaugurated KLF 2017. [12] Highlight of KLF 2017 was the interaction between Sadguru jaggi vasudev, Sashi Kumar and Manju Warrier. [13] Cartoons of O. V. Vijayan were also exhibited in 2017 Kerala Literature Festival. [14] Over 300 writers from across the world took part in KLF 2017.The writers from abroad include South African writer Ari Sitas, and British-Pakistani writer Qaisra Shahraz, Slovene writer Evald Flisar, translator and editor of numerous publications Alexandra Büchler of Literature Across Frontiers, Portuguese translator Bruno Viera Amaral and poet and literary curator Nia Davies from Wales, United Kingdom.The sessions held in four venues titled Ezhuthola, Aksharam, Thulika, and Vellithira. [15] [16]
The second edition of the festival introduced a programme for students, 'Student KLF', promoting knowledge, literature, art and culture. The event included open discussions with authors on contemporary topics. [17]
DC Kizhakemuri Foundation first thought of a cultural space for people to interact and come together which was later conceptualized in 2016 as Kerala Literature Festival. At Calicut is a converging place of history, culture and trade. Vasco da Gama, the great Portuguese explorer touched down the Indian subcontinent on the shores of the city. The Freedom Square, permanent venue of KLF was constructed by former MLA M Pradeep Kumar constructed the square. The architect's team, De- Earth led by P.P Vivek and Vinod Cyriac envisioned and designed the Square. The Freedom Square today ranks among the six world's must-see museums and was featured in Architecture Plus Design. [18]
The festival aims to provide a non aligned platform for cultural exchange and promotes free speech and dialogue. It brings writers, thinkers and activists closer, to people of varied backgrounds and interests and empower writers, thinkers to take the liberty to exercise freedom of thought and expression. The first edition witnessed writers and speakers including M T Vasudevan Nair, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Anand, Taslima Nasrin, Ashok Vajpeyi, Khadeeja Mumtaz, M.Mukundan, Sarah Joseph, Githa Hariharan, Meena Kandasamy, Pratibha Ray, TD Ramakrishnan, T Padmanabhan, Subhash Chandran, Leena Manimekalai and Girish Kasaravalli, to name a few. [19]
Malappuram, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of 70 km (43 mi). It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the total population of the state. The district was formed on 16 June 1969, spanning an area of about 3,554 km2 (1,372 sq mi). It is the third-largest district of Kerala by area, as well as the largest district in the state, bounded by Western Ghats and Arabian Sea to either side. The district is divided into seven Taluks: Eranad, Kondotty, Nilambur, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani, Tirur, and Tirurangadi.
K. Satchidanandan is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of Indian Literature journal and the former secretary of Sahitya Akademi. He is also social advocate for secular anti-caste views, supporting causes like environment, human rights and free software and is a well known speaker on issues concerning contemporary Indian literature. He is the festival director of Kerala Literature Festival.
Shashi Tharoor is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat, politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, since 2009. He is the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers. He was formerly an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and unsuccessfully ran for the post of Secretary-General in 2006. Founder-Chairman of All India Professionals Congress, he formerly served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and on Informational Technology.
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as M.T., is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. At the age of 20, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam at World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune. His first major novel Naalukettu, written at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu and Randamoozham. The deep emotional experiences of his early days have gone into the making of MT's novels. Most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture and many of them were path-breaking in the history of Malayalam literature. His three seminal novels on life in the matriarchal family in Kerala are Naalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 7 short stories focusing on the lives of the oppressed classes. Known for his works such as Kayar and Chemmeen, Pillai was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third highest Indian civilian award. He was also a recipient of the Jnanpith, India's highest literary award, awarded in 1984 for the novel Kayar.
Parutholli Chalappurathu Kuttikrishnan, popularly known by his pen name Uroob was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Along with Basheer, Thakazhi, Kesavadev, and Pottekkatt, Uroob was counted among the progressive writers in Malayalam during the twentieth century. He was known for his novels such as Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum and Ummachu, short stories like Rachiyamma and the screenplays of a number of Malayalam films including Neelakuyil, the first Malayalam feature film to receive the National Film Award. He was a recipient of several honours including Kendra Sahithya Academy Award and the inaugural Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel.
Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri, better known as Artist Namboothiri or simply Namboothiri, was an Indian painter and sculptor, known for his line art and copper relief works. He illustrated for many Malayalam writers such as Thakazhy Shivasankara Pillai, Kesavadev, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Uroob, S. K. Pottekkatt, Edasseri Govindan Nair, and V.K.N., and was one of the most prolific literary illustrators of India. He was also a chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. The Akademi awarded him the Raja Ravi Varma Award in 2003. He was also a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director.
Kuttippuram is a town and a block headquarters, which is situated in the Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district of Kerala state, India. The town is located 34 kilometres south-west of Palakkad. The Bharathappuzha river flows through Kuttippuram. According to the last Census of India conducted in 2011,
Dominic Chacko Kizhakemuri was an Indian writer, activist, freedom-fighter and book publisher from Kerala. He founded the book publishing company known as DC Books.
N. P. Mohammed, popularly known by his initials N. P., was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Malayalam language. Along with his contemporaries like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, O. V. Vijayan, Kakkanadan, and Madhavikutty, he was known to have been one of the pioneers of modernist movement in Malayalam fiction. He was the president of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and a recipient of several awards including Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel, Lalithambika Antharjanam Award, Padmaprabha Literary Award and the Muttathu Varkey Award.
Pattathuvila Karunakaran (1925–1988) was an Indian film producer and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He was best known for his book, Vimarsham and for his association with the film, Uttarayanam, the directorial debut of noted filmmaker, G. Aravindan, as the film's producer and story writer. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him their annual award for story in 1972.
Mohammed Abdur Rahiman Sahib was an Indian freedom fighter, Muslim leader, scholar, and politician from Kerala. He served as president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee(Malabar) in 1939.
S. Guptan Nair was an Indian scholar, academic, critic and writer of Malayalam literature. Known for his literary works as well as for his oratorical skills, Nair was a prolific writer with over 35 books to his credit. He was a distinguished fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and a recipient of several honours including Kendra Sahitya Academy Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award and Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the last one being the highest literary award of the Government of Kerala.
V. Madhusoodanan Nair is an Indian poet and critic of Malayalam literature, who is credited with contributions in popularizing poetry through recitation. He is best known for Naranathu Bhranthan, the poem with the most editions in Malayalam literature as well as his music albums featuring recitations of his own poems and poems of other major poets. Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with their annual award for poetry in 1993. He is also a recipient many other honours including Sahitya Akademi Award, Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram, Padmaprabha Literary Award, Kunju Pillai Award, R. G. Mangalom Award, Souparnikatheeram Prathibhapuraskaram and Janmashtami Puraskaram.
Veerankutty is a Malayalam poet and former associate professor in Dept of Malayalam Govt College Madappally. He was born in Narayamkulam near Perambra in Kozhikode District, Kerala, India. Veerankutty worked as Head of Malayalam Department at MEASS College Areacode.
DC Kizhakemuri Foundation (DCKF), conceived in 2001 under the Travancore Cochin Legislation of 1957, is formed as a tribute to the late D. C. Kizhakemuri, founder of DC Books. The DC Kizhakemuri Foundation organises a wide range of art, education and cultural activities.
Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India, first published in India as An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India, is a work of non-fiction by Shashi Tharoor, an Indian politician and diplomat, on the effects of British colonial rule on India. The book has received mixed reviews. In 2017, Tharoor won the 2017 Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award and the 2019 Sahitya Akademi Award for this work.
The Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL) is an annual literary festival that takes place in the Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode taluk of Kozhikode district, the whole area of Malappuram district, Chavakkad taluk of Thrissur district, and Palakkad district, excluding parts of Chittur taluk. The Fort Kochi region of Kochi city also historically belongs to South Malabar. The term South Malabar refers to the region of the erstwhile Malabar District south to the river Korapuzha, and bears a high cultural similarity to both the Cochin and the North Malabar region.
