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Karimeen for the Soul
Savour the Rich Depths of Malayalam Literature
Speakers
It is said, “India reads, but it reads overwhelmingly in Indian languages” and Malayalam literature stands as a stellar example of this statement. In Kerala, a committed and passionate readership, a product both of the literacy and library movements, cuts across all social strata. Malayalam writing crackles with experimentative energy and a willingness take risks in examining social issues.
In recent years, readers unfamiliar with Malayalam have been given the opportunity to savour the riches in this literary terrain. New works reach English readers soon after the initial publication in Malayalam, and literary prizes for translations have brought recognition and widened readership.
Join us as journalist MK Nidheesh chats with author Paul Zacharia, author–translator Nisha Susan, and publisher Karthika VK to explore how Malayalam literature has created such depth of readership, and is now transcending borders of geography and culture to find resonance with a new audience.
Speakers
Paul Zacharia
Paul Zacharia writes in Malayalam under the pen-name ‘Zacharia’ and has published over 50 works of fiction and non-fiction including short stories, novellas, travelogues, film-scripts, collections of essays/columns and children’s books. A Secret History of Compassion (2019) is his most recent novel. Literary awards he has received include the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. In November 2013, he was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
Karthika VK
Karthika VK is Publisher, Westland Publications Pvt Ltd. She started her career in publishing at Penguin Books India and was Publisher, HarperCollins India between 2006 and 2016 before joining Westland. She has published several of India’s favourite writers including Anita Nair, Amruta Patil, Anuja Chauhan, Aravind Adiga, Manu Joseph, Karthika Nair, Amrita Mahale, Josy Joseph, Manu Pillai, Rana Dasgupta, Meena Kandaswamy, Parmesh Shahani, Nisha Susan and Paul Zacharia.
Nisha Susan
Nisha Susan grew up in India, Nigeria and Oman and lives in Bangalore. She is the co-founder of the award-winning media company, The Ladies Finger. Her non-fiction is focused on culture, gender and politics. The pandemic year saw the release of her critically acclaimed debut collection of short stories, The Women Who Forgot to Invent Facebook & Other Stories.
Nidheesh M K
Nidheesh MK is a journalist and author. For over five years, he was a correspondent at Mint, the business daily from Hindustan Times Group, doing longer reported stories from across southern India. As an Assistant Editor, part of the paper’s long-form journalism team, he helped produce high-quality stories that made sense of contemporary news events and were in charge of Kerala coverage.
