In Photos: Books, the Beach, and Everything That Kerala Lit Fest 2024 Was About
The 500-odd speakers included author Perumal Murugan, Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna, comic Kanan Gill, among others.
advertisement
Bright lights, book stalls, and some vibrant discussions – the shores of Kerala's Kozhikode beach were packed with visitors (more so than usual) for the past four days. Well, who would want to miss the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), held in India's first UNESCO-declared 'City of Literature'?
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
Organised across seven venues along the beach, the seventh edition of the KLF saw celebrated authors, artistes, politicians, actors, and media and social media personalities host over 300 sessions.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
Books – both regional and otherwise – were in focus, but so were contemporary issues of national and global significance.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
The ongoing conflict in Manipur, Israel's war on Gaza, the rise of Hindutva politics in India, queer and women's rights, Indian history, and ethics of artificial intelligence were some of the topics that were largely discussed at the KLF.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
The 500-odd speakers included author Perumal Murugan, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna, standup comedian Kanan Gill, dancer and actress Mallika Sarabhai, and historian William Dalrymple.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
Discussions on food added to the festival's vibrancy; after all, Kozhikode is known for its unique culinary culture (not to mention its lip-smacking Malabar Biriyani!).
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
Renowned Malayalam writer NS Madhavan and social media personality Krish Ashok’s session on ‘Food and History’ was one of the many that explored the politics of Kerala’s gastronomy.
(Photo: Screengrab/Kerala Literature Festival)
A crowd gathered at the venue to listen to actor Prakash Raj. Raj’s session on ‘Star Power and Statecraft’ offered insights into India’s culture of cinematic figures entering politics and their influence in the current political climate.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
In an interview with The Quint, the actor spoke about the importance speaking truth power, the ongoing boycott culture, and the growing intolerance on social media. Tune in for the full interview to be out soon!
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
In a session titled ‘My Jail Cell’, Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan, who was released on bail last year after spending over two years in Uttar Pradesh jails while reporting on the Hathras gang rape in 2020, spoke about his experience in prison – and why he would continue fighting for the release of other political prisoners. Tune in to The Quint for the full interview with Kappan.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
The guest nation at the KLF 2024 was Türkiye – or Turkey – which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Several authors from the country took part in sessions across the four days. A performance by a group of Whirling Dervishes from Turkiye was one of the major highlights of the literary festival.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint/ Meenakshy Sasikumar)
Another interesting addition to the DC Books-organised festival was a separate ‘Children’s Lit Fest’, which focused on contemporary styles of storytelling that are interactive and tailor-made for children.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
Nearly five lakh people were estimated to participate in the event.
(Photo: Meenakshy Sasikumar/The Quint)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)