The city of Thiruvananthapuram has an uncanny way of deciding on the merits of matters. If unscrupulous TV soaps have become staple diet of evenings that were otherwise spent for jolly banter or evening prayers, the existence of voyeuristic indulgences in the Malayali order is unmentionable. The appalling yardsticks took its time to pronounce the film festivals that mushroomed across the State, with a special accent on the capital city, an acceptable social do. On the contrary, the literary festivals that came to town in the recent past were accorded a red carpet welcome by the same uncanny populace. Obviously, the literary festival circuit that has become part of the annual calendar of the city is deemed worthy of being embraced with a sense of ownership, rarely displayed by Thiruvananthapuram.Though the State has a history of nurturing literary tastes, and has set the precedence of holding book fairs quite early on, nothing of the scale of Hay Festival had occurred in this part of the world before its first edition was held here in 2010. The Cochin Book Fair conducted by Kurukshetra Prakasan and the Darsana International Book Fair organised by Darsan Cultural Society in Kottayam may be cited as some of the earliest prototypes. When the DC International Book Fair made its appearance on the literary landscape of the State, it was well-received, though not with the euphoria that surrounded Hay. The 13th DC Book Fair, currently underway at the Kanakakkunnu Place grounds, will have its Cochin leg in January. Four years ago, the Kovalam Literary Festival brought with it the vague sense of a potpourri of books, music and meetings with authors. Hay Festival, whose origins in the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye lends the festival its platonic name, gave the concept its momentum right from its first descend on the capital city.Tomy Antony, Regional Manager DC Books puts it in perspective, “Hay has served to fuel the interest of the public in books which is sure to have its impact on the publishing industry.” DC Books was the official book shop of Hay in 2010, which hints at the mutual advantage to be reaped by the domestic publisher as well as the visiting outsiders from an international event. “I have worked in the sales department of DC for a number of years and was in charge of the book shop in Thiruvananthapuram for over 15 years. What I have noticed is that, city residents whom I do not remember to have ever visited the book shop were enthusiastically taking part in the literary festivals, including the DC Book Fair. Families come to the venues as they would visit a carnival and each member would pick up books of their own choice. I think that even when one is not a voracious reader, the Malayali society is keenly aware of the need of a camaraderie with books,” he says.The same awareness rooted in the conscience of the land has a lot to do with the choice of Kerala as a venue by festival organisers, says writer and critic N E Sudheer who has worked in the publishing industry for long. “The publishing industry is keenly aware that literature has a serious readership in Kerala. This, combined with the serenity unusual for a developing metro makes it a venue with the perfect ambience for lit fests,” he says.It is the very real prospect of meeting your favourite author that draws the regular book reader to the venues, says Tara D’Souza an HR professional in Technopark. “I could not believe that I was actually in the same place as Vikram Seth and was having a live reading session with him. And many youngsters, especially the IT professionals who allegedly have no business with the written word, drop in just to check out what is going on. To my surprise, some of them did sit through poetry readings of Tishany Doshi and others and were converted into readers by some magic of the whole affair.” But, she also adds that it is up to the organisers to put up the right ensemble of people since not all writers have a penchant for interacting with the audience. However, Sudheer clarifies that the festivals do not always target the mass participation of public. The authors, publishers and editors themselves make a large crowd and the interaction between these individuals is one of the major aspects that organisers look forward to. Writers and publishers of best sellers also garner a good amount of publicity for their forthcoming titles. The participation of the public, on the other hand, is counted on as a factor that lends the event its air of festivity. The sale of books is also boosted when there is more people visiting the venues, he said.He also points out that there would be a more healthy comparison between regional authors and international authors. “There is a world in which the writers live that is beyond what you can understand through their books. listening to them and interacting with them at these festivals, one gains an insight into what informs the writing of each author. The choice of books by the readers and their evaluation of books will then be based on more realistic parameters,” says Sudheer.But there are also notes of dissent as Rahul Radhakrishnan’s, a serious reader. A professional working with a global consultancy firm, Rahul says, “These events are all about the marketing strategies. They build on the hype that surrounds the visits of bestselling authors and the cultural events that are part of these festivals. The genuine reader is not the one who is targeted and there is hardly anything in these places that can cater to the taste of such readers,” he laments.The readiness with which the lit fests have been taken into the fold of intimacy is a sure sign that dissenting voices are few. With Thiruvananthapuram is gearing up to welcome Hay to its coastal turf the week ahead (November 18-20), the festivities are poised to begin all over again.
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