Kerala’s Travel Lit Fest Yaanam 2025 to Host Global Writers and Creators

An eclectic mix of writers, artists, documentary filmmakers, vloggers, travel enthusiasts, and culinary gurus from India and abroad will converge in Varkala, near here, to recount their inspirational journeys and share insights into their crafts as Kerala prepares to host the inaugural edition of ‘Yaanam’ from October 17 to 19.

Hailed as India’s first travel literature festival, the impressive line-up of 33 speakers at the event, organised by Kerala Tourism, includes Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka and Gratiaen Award-winning Sri Lankan author Andrew Fidel Fernando.

The festival, to be held at Ranga Kala Kendram at the Cliff, Varkala, comes on the back of various Kerala initiatives such as the Wedding and MICE Tourism Conclave and the Responsible Tourism (RT) Conclave.

“Celebrating Words and Wanderlust” is the central theme of the festival, emphasising the long-standing connection between literature and travel.

The list of speakers includes Grammy Award-winning musician Prakash Sontakke; Prof Nathalie Handal, poet, playwright, non-fiction and literary travel writer, often described as the ‘Contemporary Orpheus’; Benyamin, renowned novelist and short-story writer whose bestseller Aadujeevitham (Goat Days) won the Sahitya Akademi Award; and noted journalist and author Pallavi Aiyar. They will entertain the audience by weaving together their diverse perspectives, styles, and unusual experiences in exploring and documenting the world.

Tourism Minister  PA Mohamed Riyas said Yaanam will be a signature event of Kerala Tourism, which has earned international praise for its innovative campaigns.

“Importantly, Yaanam is not only a travel literary festival but also a meeting point for a diverse range of creative minds, all united by their love of travel and exploration. In particular, it will bring to the fore Varkala’s untapped tourism potential to the world,” he added.

Other prominent figures at the festival will include award-winning Tibetan poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue, journalist and author Sudeep Chakravarti, and celebrated photographer Asha Thadani, who was nominated for the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award in 2015.

Another speaker from Sri Lanka is award-winning author Ciara Mandulee Mendis, whose debut collection of short stories, The Lanka Box, won the State Literary Award 2023. Her travelogue “Gallivanting: A Writer’s Journey Across Six Countries Chasing Sunsets, Stories, and Suspect Amounts of Tea,” which includes a chapter on India, was recently launched in Colombo.

Also from Sri Lanka is Pramudith D Rupasinghe, whose literary works largely unfold beyond his native country. A winner of the prestigious Golden Aster Prize for Global Literature, his distinctive storytelling has earned him international recognition and the nickname ‘The Writer Without Borders’.

Afeedha Sherin (22), a solo traveller from Kerala, will recount her first international trip to Mauritius, which featured the rare experience of swimming with 12 whales.

Sumaa Tekur is a Bengaluru-based writer and editor, whose 2024 book The Monks Who Laughed When the Bumblebee Stung Me recounts her solo travels to 18 countries.

Lending variety to the event will be Chef Sanza Sandile, dubbed as ‘a gastronomic smuggler’ and founder of the famed Johannesburg Yeoville Dinner Club, a space for tasting well-known African dishes amid discussions on a united and prosperous Africa around a dinner table.

Bringing a strong spirit of adventure, Piya Bahadur will join the event to recount stories from her all-woman 17,000-kilometre cycling expedition across six countries, which she captures in the book Road to Mekong.

Famous travel documentarian and writer duo Priya Ganapathy and Anurag Mallick, food guru Karen Anand, whose 12-book series Simple Cooking was nominated for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris, and trend-setting travel vlogger and storyteller Kritika Goel will also be part of the event.

Author, journalist and political commentator Ullekh N P, Binoo K John and culture writer Faizal Khan, all from Kerala but based in Delhi, will share their experiences and perspectives.

Another notable speaker is Madhu Raghavendra, a poet, performance artist, and curator, whose poems have been set to music in the USA, Finland and the Netherlands.

Envisioned and conceived by author and curator Sabin Iqbal, ‘Yaanam 2025’ has been programmed by author Nirmala Govindarajan, whose works are renowned for their intense travel experiences.

Apart from discussions and interactions, the festival will feature curated trails that highlight Varkala’s attractions and engaging workshops on writing, photography and wellness.