
TIRUNELVELI: District Collector Dr K P Karthikeyan and Sahitya Akademi award-winning writer Vannadasan inaugurated the eighth edition of the Porunai Nellai Book Festival by releasing the short story collection 'Kathai Solla Porom', written by school students, and 'Ungaludan Ainthe Nimidam', authored by teachers in the presence of MLAs Abdul Wahab and Ruby Manoharan here on Friday.
The event, held at Nellai Trade Centre, was also attended by Tirunelveli Mayor K Ramakrishnan, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University Vice-Chancellor N Chandrasekar, and Chief Educational Officer Sivakumar. Addressing the gathering, Karthikeyan highlighted that the last year's book releases, Nellai Seemaiyin Oru Nootraandu Sirukadhaigal and Nellai Seemaiyin Oru Nootraandu Kavithaigal Katturaigal, garnered significant attention in Tamil literary circles. "This year, four books, including Nellai Seemaiyin Oru Nootraandu Katturaigal and Nellai Seemaiyin Naattaar Nigazhthu Kalaigal, were published through the district administration," he added.
The collector also spoke about the historical significance of the region, stating that recent archaeological studies suggest that the ancient iron industry began along the banks of the Porunai (Thamirabarani) river. He added that Tirunelveli's cultural heritage is comparable to other ancient civilisations such as Keeladi and Vaigai. Further, he noted that Mahendragiri plays a crucial role in India's space missions by supplying rocket fuel, and Tirunelveli is emerging as Tamil Nadu's green energy capital. He also announced that a major solar panel manufacturing unit, set to be inaugurated within a week by Chief Minister M K Stalin, will provide employment opportunities for over 2,000 workers, including 1,260 women from Tirunelveli.
The Porunai Nellai Book Festival features over 120 book stalls, along with exhibitions on archaeology, artificial intelligence, and environmental awareness. Cultural and literary events such as poetry readings, panel discussions, and traditional art performances have also been scheduled. As part of the initiative to promote reading, the school education department has established 49 reader clubs across colleges and introduced a voluntary book savings scheme for students. The administration has also arranged for book coupons worth Rs 6 lakh to be distributed among competition winners. The festival aims for a book sales target of Rs 2 crore this year, Dr Karthikeyan said.