Kerala - Kochi   

Treat for book-lovers

KOCHI: For ten days starting this Friday, all those who love the printed word are likely to make a beeline to the Kochi International Book Festival at the Ernakulathappan Ground in Kochi.

Sanskrit poet and this year’s Jnanpith Award winner Satya Vrat Shastri will inaugurate the 13th edition of the fete on November 27 at 4 p.m., organisers of the festival told a press conference held here on Tuesday.

Devaswom Minister Ramachandran Kadannappally will be the chief guest. Vayalar Award winner Thomas Mathew will deliver the keynote address.

Former Judge of the Supreme Court V.R. Krishna Iyer will be felicitated at the function. Dominic Presentation, MLA, will release the festival souvenir and Director of Public Instruction A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish will release the bulletin.

As a prelude to the festival, a rally to create literary awareness will be taken out from the St. Teresa’s College to the venue on Wednesday at 11 a.m. On December 5, the penultimate day of the fete, literary critic Sukumar Azhikode will present the Balamaniyamma Award to M.P. Veerendrakumar. The award for best publishing will be awarded to Ravi DC of DC Books for bringing out the works of Tagore.

Former Union minister O. Rajagopal will inaugurate the valedictory function to be held on December 6 at 5 p.m. As in the previous years big and small publishers from across the country will participate in the fete. Stalls of publishers from outside the State including Upkar Prakashan, WHO, Cambridge, Geetha Press, Chaukamba, CBT, NBT, Grolier, Kendra Sahitya Akademi, NCERT, and Pustak Mahal will be among those to be featured at the fete. In keeping with its tradition cultural events will be staged all through the festival evenings.

To start of with, a Bharatanatyam performance by Asha Hari of the Sree Sankara School of Dance, Kalady will be staged on the first day soon after the inaugural function. Violin concert will be the highlight of the second day.

An elocution competition will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Sunday. This will be followed by Aksharaslokam and Sopana Sangeetam by Ambalapuzha Vijayakumar in the evening. A musical night of songs penned by the late Vayalar Ramavarma will be held later in the night.

On the fourth evening, prizes will be distributed to the winners of the painting contest, Varnolsavam 2009, held for children. On December 1, prizes will be distributed to the winners of the children’s book festival competition that the Kochi International Book Festival Committee had organised across more than 100 schools in the district. Literary critic M.K. Sanoo will inaugurate the function.

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