One of the largest literary festivals in India, Mathrubhumi is gearing up for the fourth edition on Feb 2-5, 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala.
The fourth edition of MBIFL under the theme “Shadows of history, Lights of the future” makes a comeback at a fitting time as Mathrubhumi celebrates its centenary year. At this time, this festival becomes a contemplative platform to examine a journey emerging from the shadows and reaching the light. The shadows being the experiences, the learnings and the realities of the past while the light being the illuminative wisdom and imagination guiding humankind with new ideas and perspectives to the future through literature, art and culture, politics, technology, science, gender and more. This edition of the festival will host close to 500 speakers and performers from across India and overseas.
Started in the year 2018, Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters is a celebration of letters and ideas. After 3 successful editions in 2018, 19 & 20, the festival was put on hold as the world came to a standstill in the grips of a devastating pandemic.
MBIFL is organised by Mathrubhumi, which is one of the largest media groups in India. This edition is special to us mainly for two reasons: One, Mathrubhumi is celebrating its 100 years, a special milestone for a media group which has played a considerable role in the socio-cultural and linguistic evolution of the place and its people. Two, we all are coming together after the lockdown years.Today, Mathrubhumi has undoubtedly become a byword for excellence with a leading Malayalam daily (16 editions), a popular FM channel with 7 stations, over 7 best-selling publications, 2 top-rated television channels and an online news portal.
MBIFL has brought together and hosted over 1,200 speakers in the last three editions, and it is a matter of pride that MBIFL is one of the largest and best loved festivals in Southeast Asia.
Mathrubhumi has always believed that literature has a major impact on the development of a society. This was the inspiration behind MBIFL, a first-of-its-kind literary fest in South India.
From a confluence of minds from ‘known lands and unheard voices’ through ‘shrinking spaces and transcending letters’, this year, we take a holistic look around us—literature, science, nature, society, business, health, social change, innovation and ideas—and explore how Rewind will help us in our Forward journey towards the ‘lights of future’, learning from the ‘shadows of history’.
This year’s speakers include Nobel-laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, Booker-winner Shehan Karunatilaka, Booker Shortlists, Colum McCann and Nadifa Muhammed, Icelandic novelist and lyricist Sjon, and all the leading Indian writers.