Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Celebrating the art of talking

MASTER ORATOR: Sukumar Azhikode is one of the speakers at the fest. Photo: H. Vibhu

It is a festival that celebrates the art of oration. Unlike other major cultural events in the country, this 75-day-long Soorya Dance & Music Festival has a lot of distinct features and a "talk festival" is one of them.

According to Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, chairman of the Soorya Dance & Music Society, nowhere else in the country would one come across a 10-day festival to honour outstanding orators.

"The talk festival is neither entertainment nor a series of discourses which the audience sit and listen to in rapt attention. It is an intellectual thought-sharing exercise wherein the speaker and the audience engage in a healthy dialogue," explains Mr. Krishnamoorthy.

The celebrities who participate in the festival share their ideas and experiences with the audience in their characteristic style.

Following this, the listeners raise questions and the speakers reply. The talk festival was first included as part of the festival 10 years ago and the response was so encouraging that it has now become one of its main sections, says Mr. Krishnamoorthy. "The listeners occupy their seats well in time. We have drawn up criteria for selecting the speakers. Anyone who has made an outstanding contribution to the art of oration is qualified to participate," he adds.

The veteran literatteur Sukumar Azhikode; Congress leaders Rajmohan Unnithan and V.M. Sudheeran; the IPS official Sreelekha; the CPI(M) leader M.A. Baby; and the IUML leader Abdul Samad Samadani; are among the invitees at the talk festival that starts on October 11.

Yet another highlight is the Ramayana festival. This section is primarily meant to convey the message of love and amity.

N.J. Nair

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