ILFK will be held next year too: Saji Cherian  

The maiden edition of the International Literature Festival of Kerala, which saw more than 100 sessions attended by 500-odd writers, critics and social activists from the country and outside, concluded on Saturday.

The maiden edition of the International Literature Festival of Kerala, which saw more than 100 sessions attended by 500-odd writers, critics and social activists from the country and outside, concluded on Saturday.

Addressing the valedictory of the ILFK, Minister of Culture Saji Cherian said the ILFK will be held next year too in a more elaborate manner. The government will give all support for the festival.

“Literature festivals organized in the public sector are rare in the country. But Kerala has already become a model by organising theatre festivals and biennale. There was a shortage of a literature festival, now that too has been fulfilled,” he said.

Platforms such as literature festivals tell us that the survival struggles of human beings have a single language. The State is expressing solidarity with the wounded and marginalized when the politics of religion threaten the very essence of plurality of the country. Such get-togethers and cultural resistances have great relevance in the contemporary Indian conditions, the Minister said.

Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K. Satchitanandan, Irish poet Gabriel Rosenstok, Palestine poet Najwan Darwish and others spoke.

Earlier while addressing a session on ‘Future of Indian Democracy’ at the ILFK, CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan Master said that a unity of people, who believe in democracy should be developed in the country.