2nd edition of Wayanad Lit Fest to be held in December

PTI Wayanad(Kerala): The second edition of the Wayanad Literature Festival (WLF), India's first and the largest rurallyheld literature festival organised in a grama panchayat, will be held at Mananthavady here in December. The festival will be held in Wayanad this year from December 27 to 29 and will bring together writers, cultural figures, filmmakers, artists, and academicians from all over the world, the event organisers said in a release.

This year's list of speakers include Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy, retired Supreme Court judge Justice J Chelameswar, Shyam Divan, John Keay, Christophe Jaffrelot, Amitava Kumar, Caroline Buckee, Sara Joseph, and K Satchidanandan, the release said. A significant highlight of this year's event will be an international academic conference which, in the context of the devastating landslide in Wayanad that killed over 200 people, will discuss issues like climate change, livelihood rights of farmers and indigenous people etc, it said."Resilience, expression, representation -- three phrases encompass the crux of the Wayanad Literature Festival," Festival Director Vinod K Jose is quoted as having said in the release.

"Beyond the literary and academic aspects, the festival will offer a rich cultural experience. "An All India Arts and Crafts Fair, Film Festival, Book Fair, Food Fair, Farmers Market, Heritage Walk, Art Biennale, Children's Arena, Chess Tournament, Master Classes in Fashion, Photography, and Entrepreneurship, along with Kerala's Best College Magazine Award and Photography Award, are some of the highlights of the festival," it said. WLF curator Joseph K Job said, according to the release, that the festival aims to dispel the misconception that the region is completely devastated by the recent calamities.

"By showcasing Wayanad's enduring beauty and resilience, the festival seeks to revitalize the tourism sector, boost the local economy, and restore the region's lost glory," he said. A committee comprising 101 representatives from various sections of Wayanad society are organising the festival, the release said. The previous edition of the festival was held in December 2022 and had garnered widespread acclaim from literary enthusiasts, critics, and the general public and was graced with over 100 other literary luminaries, it said.