Kerala Tourism to host three-day travel lit fest at Varkala

Kerala Tourism is to host a literary festival in Varkala next month celebrating the art of travelThe event will gather travellers writers artists and documentary filmmakers to share stories of their journeys through talks screenings and conversationsTitled Yaanam the first edition of the festival will be held at Ranga Kala Kendram at the Cliff Varkala from October 17 to 19 state Tourism Minister P A Muhammed Riyas told a press conference hereHe said Yaanam is conceived not just as a travel literary festival but as a platform for passionate travel lovers that include writers artists photographers adventure travelers and travel documentary filmmakersYaanam 2025 has been envisioned and conceptualised by author and curator Sabin Iqbal It is programmed by author Nirmala Govindarajan whose works have been noted for their intense travel experiencesThe event is also aimed at showcasing the immense tourism possibilities of Varkala before the world It is also being planned to promote Varkala and nearby places as potential tourism destinations by roping in noted personalities from various domains the minister saidNoting that postCovid there is a significant rise in the domesticforeign tourists arrival in Varkala Riyas said a project worth Rs 25 crore has been prepared for the tourism activities in VarkalaV Joy MLA and Sikha Surendran Director Kerala Tourism were also present at the press meetYaanam 2025 will feature an impressive lineup of speakers including Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka Grammy Awardwinning musician Prakash Sontakke noted journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar Gratiaen Awardwinning Sri Lankan author Andrew Fidel Fernando and poet playwright nonfiction and literary travel writer Prof Nathalie Handal who is called Contemporary OrpheusOther prominent figures include Tibetan poet Tenzin Tsundue journalist and author Sudeep Chakravarti and photographer Asha ThadaniBringing in a strong spirit of adventure Piya Bahadur will join the event to recount stories about her allwoman biking expedition across six countries and moreFamous travel documentarian and writer duo Priya Ganapathy and Anurag Mallick food guru Karen Anand and trendsetting travel vlogger Kritika Goel are also part of the October 1719 eventApart from discussions and interactions the festival will host curated trails that highlight the attractions of Varkala and engaging workshops on writing photography and wellnessThis event is being planned close on the heels of various initiatives of Kerala Tourism such as Destination and MICE Tourism Conclave and Responsible Tourism RT ConclaveThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever