Small Kerala town to host international literary festival

Thiruvananthapuram: Having bucked the trend of literary festivals being cornered by big cities, the sleepy Chengannur town in Alappuzha district is set to host the third edition of an international writers' meet with literature from north-eastern states being the focus this year.

Kerala State Youth Welfare Board, in association with PAMPA (People for Performing Arts and More), an art-cum--cultural outfit, will organise the third edition of South India Writers' Ensemble (SIWE) in Chengannur in July with an aim to popularise literary festivals in towns and villages.

Prominent writers from various states in the country and abroad are expected to participate in the two-day meet beginning on July 24, the organisers said.

The first and second editions were organised in the town in association with Kerala Sahitya Akademi.

The main objective of PAMPA is to expose people of small towns and periphery villages to such celebrations of art and culture, said noted Kannada poet and theatre person Kanaka Hama Vishnunath, a founder member of PAMPA.

"Art, literature, music and dance are integral part of our diverse culture, glimpses of which are experienced in festivals and other events. But these events cater to big cities and cultural capitals, leaving people in the smaller towns and villages completely unexposed to such celebrations,"she said.

The literature of the north-eastern part of the country is the focus of the festival this year, she said. Noted writers from north-east who are expected to participate include Kynpham Singh, Nitoo Das, Anupama Basumatary, Ananya S Guha, Streamlet D Kahar, Dhruba Hazarika, Mitra Phukan, Jahnavi Barua, Robin S Ngangom, Jiban Narah, Apurba Saikia, Mamang Dai and Vishu Rita Krocha.

Pankaj Dubey would represent Hindi literature and Preeti Shenoy, Vani Mahesh, Manjiri Prabu, Anjali Purohit, and Shinie Antony would share thoughts on Indian-English writing.

"Besides writers from Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, some authors from United States and Germany have also confirmed their participation," Kanaka, also the wife of Chengannur MLA P C Vishnunath, said.