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Image credit – iStock-153547597 Kerala Tourism is hosting a literary festival in Varkala next month celebrating the art of travel.
The event will bring together travelers, writers, artists and documentary filmmakers to share their travel stories through talks, screenings and talks.
The first edition of the festival, titled ‘Yanam’, will be held at Ranga Kala Kendram in Cliff, Varkala, from October 17 to 19, state Tourism Minister Mohammad Riyas said at a press conference here.
He said that Yanam is not only seen as a travel literary festival but as a platform for passionate travel enthusiasts who include writers, artists, photographers, adventure travelers and travel documentary filmmakers.
“Yanam 2025” has been conceptualized and conceptualized by author and curator Sabeen Iqbal. It was programmed by author Nirmala Govindarajan, whose works are known for their intense travel experiences.
“The event also aims to showcase Varkala’s huge tourism potential to the world. It is also planned to promote Varkala and its nearby places as potential tourist destinations by enlisting the help of famous personalities from various fields,” the minister said.
Pointing out that post Covid, there is a huge rise in the arrival of domestic and foreign tourists in Varkala, Riyas said that a project worth INR 25 crore has been prepared for tourism activities in Varkala.
V Joy, MLA and Sikha Surendran, Director, Tourism, Kerala, also attended the press meet.
Yanam 2025 will feature an impressive line-up of speakers, including Booker Prize winner Shihan Karunatilaka, Grammy Award-winning musician Prakash Sontakhi, acclaimed journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar, Gratian Prize-winning Sri Lankan author Andrew Fidel Fernando, and poet, playwright and literary travel writer Professor Natalie Handal, dubbed the “modern-day Orpheus.” Other notable figures include Tibetan poet Tenzin Tsundo, journalist and author Sudeep Chakravarti, and photographer Asha Thadani.
Pia Bahadur, who has a strong sense of adventure, will join the event to tell stories of her women’s cycling expedition across six countries and more.
Popular documentarian and writer duo Priya Ganapathy and Anurag Mallick, food expert Karen Anand and vlogger Kritika Goel are part of the event being held from October 17 to 19.
Apart from discussions and interactions, the festival will host curated itineraries highlighting attractions of Varkala and engaging workshops on writing, photography and wellness.
The event is being planned in the wake of various Kerala Tourism initiatives like Destination Meeting, Responsible Tourism (RT) Meetings and Meetings.
