Thunchan literary festival concludes

Curtain fell on the Thunchan Festival, the largest literary mela of Kerala, after five days of celebrations and intense deliberations at Thunchanparambu, Tirur, on Sunday evening.

Presiding over the valedictory session, Jnanpith laureate M.T. Vasudevan Nair said that one should love one’s language, but it should not lead to any fanaticism. He exhorted the people to respect and accept the literature of all languages. Inaugurating the function, E.T. Mohammed Basheer, MP, wished that Thunchanparambu would become a meeting ground for all world cultures. However, he lamented the lack of social space to accommodate all cultures.

Delivering the keynote address, A. Vijayaraghavan, MP, stressed the necessity of expansion for any language. The expansion of the language would mean the expansion of the Thunchanparambu, he said.

Full report here Hindu

Thunchan fete draws crowds

Hundreds of Malayalam lovers visited Thunchanparamba, the home of Malayalam language’s patriarch Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, since this year’s Thunchan literary fete began at Tirur on February 3.

For writers and readers of Malayalam, it is the largest literary festival being held in the State. A three-day national seminar on dissent, protest and literature, organised jointly by the Thunchan Memorial Trust and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, in honour of Kamala Suraiyya concluded on Friday.

Presiding over a session on crystalisation of women consciousness in Malayalam literature, Sanskrit scholar C.A. Varier said that it was the socio-political awakening that gave Malayali women a recognisable voice. Even in old Sanskrit plays, women and ordinary people spoke an unrefined language, he said. Sunil P. Elayidam spoke on early development of women consciousness through periodicals and journals. K.S. Ravikumar spoke on problematising the issue in poetry and fiction.

Full report here Hindu

Special postal cover in honour of Kamala Surayya released

A special cover in honour of eminent poet and author Kamala Surayya, who died in May last year, was released during the 'Thunchan Literary Festival' in Tirur on February 4, reports PTI.

The cover was received by renowned author Dr Sukmar Azhikode from the Chief Post Master General of Kerala Circle, Sobha Koshi. The literary festival is held every year at the hallowed home of the father of Malayalam literature, Thunhchath Ezhuthachan, at Tirur in Malappuram district.

Those who spoke at the function included eminent Urdu writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqi and Malayalam writer and Jnanpith winner M T Vasudevan Nair. The speakers paid glowing tributes to Surayya.

Surayya had left a rich body of works including poems in English and short stories in Malayalam, penned under the pseudonym Madhavikutty.