TIRUCHY: With the Tiruchy Book Festival set to commence today, Tiruchy-based writers and literary speakers said they feel left out of a major cultural event in their own city and called the planning process "undemocratic".
The Tiruchy District Writers Association, which has witnessed platinum jubilee celebrations, told TNIE that the administration had skipped customary consultations with local literary bodies in the months leading up to the event and released a statement on the commencement of the festival only on Wednesday, which is four days before its scheduled start.
The district administration also failed to invite Tiruchy authors for speaker sessions or stall allocations, even though dedicated stalls had been provided for Tiruchy-based writers in 2024. Association president T Indrajith said earlier editions of the book fair involved month-long discussions with writers' groups and the formation of a reception committee.
"This year, there has been no such dialogue. In previous festivals, we were given a separate stall where more than 75 books by Tiruchy authors were displayed. Now, even that has not been discussed with us," he said. As per a district administration release, the nine-day festival will be held from February 14 to 22 at St John's Vestry Higher Secondary School grounds.
Organised in association with the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), the event will feature 130 stalls spread across nearly five acres, showcasing books from over 100 publishers. Writers, however, pointed out that while 16 stalls have allegedly been earmarked to display government achievements, and no formal call was issued inviting participation from Tiruchy-based writers who had set up stalls in the earlier editions.
T Nedunchezian, former professor of St Joseph's College, said that unlike Chennai, where publishers prepare new releases around a predictable book fair season, Tiruchy writers were given no advance notice to plan publications. He recalled that in 2024 , themes such as 'Women in Tamil history' were discussed in advance and even a festival logo inspired by Velu Nachiyar was unveiled, allowing local writers time to prepare and release new books an opportunity missing this year. Ko Kaliyamoorthy of the Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram said local literary voices have repeatedly been sidelined.
"When a book festival is held here, voices from this soil must find space on the stage. Local authors mirror the district's culture, history, and everyday life and their presence defines the spirit of the festival," he said. While district administration officials did not respond to questions on the hurried conduct of the event, they said steps would be taken to allot a stall for local writers and asked literary associations to approach them, even as no open announcement inviting participation has been issued so far.