For the third consecutive year, The Department of English, St. Teresa’s College,
collaborated with the Antharashtra Pusthakotsava Samithy in hosting the Kochi
International Literary Festival 2018 on November 5 th , 7 th , 8 th and 9 th at the college
premises. The event coordinator Dr Latha Nair was assisted by Mrs. Athira Babu,
Mrs. Lissy Jose and Mrs. Tessa Fani Jose.
The first session of the literary festival, “Prana: A Session on Yoga,” was led by
Shailaja Menon, founder of the renowned “Mat & Beyond- Yoga Studio” in
Malaysia. Author of the book Yoga Shakti that dispelled a lot of misconceptions
about Yoga and a certified Manasa Yoga teacher, she enumerated upon the
importance of maintaining clarity in thinking and freeing one’s mind from all
forms of negativity. Highlighting the various forms of Yoga in her informative
talk, she emphasized upon the role of Manasa Yoga in developing positivity and
enriching one’s overall mental health.
“Coffee with Karan,” the second session of this year’s festival, saw author, editor
and blogger Karan Doshi in conversation with M. Jessica of III BA English
Literature, answering questions pertaining to his work Land Acquisition in India:
Is the Farmer Wrong.” Providing an alternate perspective to the usual stance
adopted by activists and journalists in opposition to land acquisition, Doshi put
forward his views from the opposite end of the spectrum, supporting land
acquisition as a means to achieving the end of development.
The 8 th of November, the third day of the acclaimed literary festival saw Lakshmy
Das of II MA English and M. Jessica of III BA English Literature engage in an
entertaining and enlightening conversation with Bharati Mani, established theatre
artist, author and playwright. Touching upon a wide array of subjects, he spoke to
the audience about his long-standing relationship and love for the theatre and the
essence to living a fruitful life.
The final session of this year’s literary festival was held on 9 th November and poet
Anuradha Vijayakrishnan graced the occasion. Reading excerpts from her
anthology of poems The Who Am I Bird . Encouraging innovative interpretations
of her poems, she talked about the concept of deciphering identity and referred to
the identity crises faced by all individuals. Being a retail banker by profession, it was the writing habit imbibed by her at the young age of 17 that translated into the publication of her collection of poems.