THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The legislative assembly is giving final touches to preparations for the fourth edition of the Kerala Legislative International Book Festival (KLIBF), which will be held from January 7 to 13 at the assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the festival on Wednesday at the R Sankaranarayanan Thampi Lounge in the assembly complex at 11 am.
The legislative assembly’s award for contributions to literature will be presented to writer N S Madhavan at the inaugural function. Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq will be the chief guest at the function. MP from Zambia and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association chairperson Christopher Kalila will deliver the keynote address.
A total of 170 publishers will participate with their books spread across 300 stalls. Publishers from across India and abroad will participate. Major sessions will include KLIBF talks, dialogues, meet the author, poetry events, storytelling platforms and book discussions.
The discussions will cover themes like democracy, constitutional values, travel, media ethics, sports, cybercrime, environment, social justice, entertainment and more. There will also be dedicated spaces and workshops for students.
Among the major participants are Taslima Nasrin, Rana Ayyub, T M Krishna, Aakar Patel, Saira Shah Halim and P Sainath. Leading Malayalam writers including T Padmanabhan, K R Meera, T D Ramakrishnan, Subhash Chandran and S Hareesh will also attend.
The festival will also run a Students’ Corner with interactive sessions and UNICEF-supported programmes. A model legislative assembly is planned as part of efforts to build civic awareness among youth. Entry to the seven-day festival is free. During the festival days, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the assembly hall and the Legislative museum.