The Kerala Legislative Assembly International Book Festival (KLIBF) returned to the capital on Wednesday with its fourth edition, inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
As the festival opened inside the Assembly complex, the space began filling with readers, writers, students and members of the public curious to experience the legislature as a cultural venue, showing that the public appetite for literature has not waned even in an internet-led era.
Conceived with the aim of promoting reading as a positive ‘addiction’, at a time when young people are increasingly vulnerable to more harmful distractions, the festival appears to be fulfilling that purpose clearly and visibly.
“When this idea was first proposed, there had never been a legislative assembly book festival anywhere in India. At the time, many assumed it would be a token exercise — perhaps five or six book stalls put up just to stage a show for a formal event. Instead, the very first year itself took everyone by surprise. Around 250 stalls came together with speakers and participants, making it a truly collective effort,” says E K Mushtaqu, press secretary to the Speaker.
“Each festival that followed has tried, with great determination, to correct the shortcomings of the previous edition and go beyond it. Every year, there has been a gradual increase in the number of visitors, stalls and publishers. The growth in publishers has now reached a point where it has become difficult to accommodate all of them.”
The main highlight of the festival is Theyyam, which will be staged from January 8 to 12, featuring forms such as Pottan Theyyam, Agnikandakarnan Theyyam, Kuttichathan Thira and Pookkuttichathan, performed by Mahe Theyyam Paithruka Samithi under the guidance of Padma Shri E P Narayanan.
The seven-day Kerala Legislative Assembly International Book Festival (KLIBF), running till January 13, will host a wide range of discussions, talks and cultural programmes.
Highlights include ‘KLIBF Dialogues’ with Shashi Tharoor, Taslima Nasrin, Binoy Viswam and K C Venugopal; ‘Meet the Author’ sessions with N S Madhavan, Subhash Chandran and others; and a media discussion featuring Rana Ayyub. Panels span politics, literature, climate, humour and human–wildlife conflict, alongside talks on film, music and writing.
Cultural programmes, guided city tours, student-focused sessions, multi-stage events, and food court add to the festival’s vibrance.
The fest will conclude on January 13 with Sanmanassulla Sreeni, a tribute to actor Sreenivasan, featuring Mukesh, Kamal, Priyadarshan and Maniyanpilla Raju.