Books by the Beach

Every literature festival has its vibe, just as every city has its own rhythm. As an ancient port Kozhikode (previously called Calicut) has been visited by some of the world’s most famous travellers from Ibn Battuta—who visited six times—to Vasco da Gama. It was his arrival in Calicut in 1498 that brought about five centuries of Portuguese rule to India. Located on the sea, Calicut has always lured travellers from far and wide. Today the city has a relaxed yet engaged air to it. The man on the street might tell you dismissively that there is nothing to see in the city. But the resident will be quick to rattle off the names of bakeries old and new, and government schools that have been spruced up and cemeteries that have been beautified, and beach walks that have been laid out. With auto drivers putting on their metres without a demur, with volunteers always ready to help, with the attendant more than happy to chat—this is clearly a city which wants to put its best foot forward.

With Kozhikode becoming India’s first UNESCO City of Literature, the importance of the Kerala Literature Festival (January 23 to January 26) cannot be understated. Now in its eighth edition, it is easily one of the most carefree festivals. Devoid of glitz and glamour, it is a festival rooted in the earth and grounded in reality. Located right on the Kozhikode Beach promenade it is a truly egalitarian festival, which requires no registration for visitors. There are no metal detectors to greet you, and no lines of cars with beacons. Here the audience and the speakers avail of the same meal, which is a lavish spread provided by Paragon, including delicacies like Calicut biryani and pathiri with raw mango curry.

There is a collapsing of hierarchies to whatever extent possible. As poet and curator Ranjit Hoskote said in a session on his book Icelight, to be of the sea is very different than to be of the land. The sea is always a more accommodating force, it is more open,  and thus more giving. The unique joy of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) is that while listening to a talk on the rights of transgender people you can suddenly turn to your left side and catch the glimpse of a mother wiping her child who has waded too far into the water. By bestowing upon the audience views of the Arabian Sea it allows an opening of horizons. It assures you that to be of the book world is also to be a part of the bigger world.

It is, perhaps, a cliché that an audience in Kerala is more literate than most. But like all stereotypes it holds the kernel of truth. Here you’ll find a portrait of the revolutionary Che Guvera right near a sketch of the actor and producer Prakash Raj laid out on the pavement by a streetside artist. Here a group of men in the corner might be caught discussing the lives of Simone De Beauvoir and Sartre. Here a poet like Jeet Thayil or a political leader like Brinda Karat can say what they want without fearing “shoes coming their way”. You will also catch the policeman seated on a chair at the back nodding off to sleep while watching a movie on his phone. But this is what makes the festival special. The sun might be blazing down, but with the waves for a view and the breeze for a friend all that matters is the books that have been written, the writers who write them, the readers who read them and then show up in hordes to listen to their favourites.

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