Why do people fight so much over history?At the Kerala Literature Festival 2026, historian and author Manu S Pillai shares a thought-provoking perspective on how the past continues to shape the world we live in today. Session : The Past is Present: Writing History in India TodaySpeakers : Manu S PillaiModerator : Anjana Sankar23/01/2026 KLF Day 2 - Aksharam

Why do people fight so much over history?At the Kerala Literature Festival 2026, historian and author Manu S Pillai shares a thought-provoking perspective on how the past continues to shape the world we live in today.Session : The Past is Present: Writing History in India TodaySpeakers : Manu S PillaiModerator : Anjana Sankar23/01/2026 KLF Day 2 - Aksharam

Kerala Literature Festival - 9th Edition | English | KLF 2026

The Biggest Myth About History - Part 2

The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival, held from January 22-25 on the beaches ofKozhikode, reaffirmed its stature as Asia’s largest literary gathering and one of the world’smost dynamic cultural forums. Drawing over 700,000 attendees and featuring 500+ speakersacross 350 sessions, the festival transformed the city’s iconic seafront into a vibrant publicplatform for ideas spanning literature, history, science, politics, cinema, philosophy, and thearts. Inaugurated by astronaut Sunita Williams and Kerala Tourism Minister MohammedRiyas, in the presence of actor Bhavana, and with Germany as Guest Nation, the edition stoodout for its international breadth, brilliant curation, and strong cultural collaborations.A defining highlight was the historic participation of Sunita Williams, whose widely attendedsessions on life in space, resilience, and unity deeply inspired audiences, particularlystudents. The festival also featured major intellectual voices such as Shashi Tharoor, whoreflected on the Indian Constitution and the legacy of Sree Narayana Guru, alongside globalfigures including Abdulrazak Gurnah, Pico Iyer, Abhijit Banerjee, Pratibha Ray, Shobha De,Kiran Desai, Satoshi Yagisawa, Ben Johnson, Jimmy Wales and many more. Salman Rushdieand Romila Thapar joined for an online session. With an estimated ₹130 crore generated inlocal economic activity and a carefully balanced programme of English and Indian vernacularsessions, KLF 2026 strengthened Kozhikode’s global cultural identity and reinforced itsrecognition as India’s first UNESCO City of Literature.

The ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival, held from January 22-25 on the beaches ofKozhikode, reaffirmed its stature as Asia’s largest literary gathering and one of the world’smost dynamic cultural forums. Drawing over 700,000 attendees and featuring 500+ speakersacross 350 sessions, the festival transformed the city’s iconic seafront into a vibrant publicplatform for ideas spanning literature, history, science, politics, cinema, philosophy, and thearts. Inaugurated by astronaut Sunita Williams and Kerala Tourism Minister MohammedRiyas, in the presence of actor Bhavana, and with Germany as Guest Nation, the edition stoodout for its international breadth, brilliant curation, and strong cultural collaborations.A defining highlight was the historic participation of Sunita Williams, whose widely attendedsessions on life in space, resilience, and unity deeply inspired audiences, particularlystudents. The festival also featured major intellectual voices such as Shashi Tharoor, whoreflected on the Indian Constitution and the legacy of Sree Narayana Guru, alongside globalfigures including Abdulrazak Gurnah, Pico Iyer, Abhijit Banerjee, Pratibha Ray, Shobha De,Kiran Desai, Satoshi Yagisawa, Ben Johnson, Jimmy Wales and many more. Salman Rushdieand Romila Thapar joined for an online session. With an estimated ₹130 crore generated inlocal economic activity and a carefully balanced programme of English and Indian vernacularsessions, KLF 2026 strengthened Kozhikode’s global cultural identity and reinforced itsrecognition as India’s first UNESCO City of Literature.