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Saturday, April 20, 2024
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After an inspiring first leg in New Delhi, the fifth edition of Kovalam literary fest came home to the near vicinity of the place it is named after.. the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. Some of the most promising talents in modern Indian writing met for the second leg of the fest held on October 6th and 7th at Kanakakkunnu palace located at the heart of the city. The highlight of the first session of KLF in Delhi was the presence of Booker-nominated Jeet Thayil. Away from the noisy rush of the city, writers who gathered in the serene environs of the palace, read from their books, held discussions, debates and talks on a variety of literary and social subjects. Some of them answered queries from the audience. Among the distinguished guests were Indian-born British writer Farrukh Dhondy, Timeri N Murari, Biman Nath, Sonia Faleiro, N S Madhavan, C P Surendran, up-and-coming Malayalam writer Benyamin, well-known film critic Anna M M Vetticad and Israeli authors Sarai Shavit and Dorit Rabinyan.
The summit focusing on new literary trends, ideas and opinions included 15 sessions in its Thiruvananthapuram edition. The fest opened with the fifth annual K C John memorial lecture by social activist and public health expert Mr. Binayak Sen. Famous author and academician Illina Sen participated in the talk which followed, moderated by lawyer and human rights activist Vrinda Grovar. The important sessions were the discussion anchored by senior journalist Mr. Sabin Iqbal in which famous Malayalam writers like N S Madhavan and Benyamin read from their respective novels ‘Littanies of Dutch Battery’ and ‘Aadujeevitham’ or ‘Life of goats. Biman Nath’s work of historical fiction "The Tattooed Fakir" was launched at the venue followed by a discussion on "Colonial India in Indian Writing". .
The session of discussion on the ‘Evolving Indian novel’ saw participation from writers Farrukh Dhondy, Timeri Murari , Nilanjana Roy, NS Madhavan , C P Surendran in which the anchor was journalist Suresh Menon. Film critic and author of ‘The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic’ Anna Vetticad talked about her passion for film viewing, and while answering questions from the audience stressed on the need for unbiased views while reviewing films. The audience was treated to book reading sessions by authors Ru Freeman, Sonia Feleiro, Nilanja Roy, Timeri Murari from their respective literary works. Columnist and editor Nilanjana Roy read from her first attempt at fiction ‘ The Wildings’, a book on feline tendencies and discussed her work with Sonia Faleiro. The famous photographer Amit Pasricha presented a session on ‘The panorama in Indian Photography’. . The second day saw another discussion on ‘ Mumbai as the city of Indian imagination’ anchored by CP Surendran. The event co-sponsored by Muthoot Pappachan Group and Taj Vivanta concluded with an evening of music featuring concerts by the one-man band from Israel Tal Kravitz followed by the popular band Indian Ocean.
